Since mid-October, a handful of local Grade 4 to 6 boys and girls have been learning the fun and fundamentals of basketball inside Garibaldi Highlands Elementary (GHE).
And now the group of youngsters wants to give back.
The Steve Nash Youth Basketball program hosts a fundraiser on at GHE on Friday (March 6) starting at 7 p.m., with all proceeds going to help spread the love of the sport to those less fortunate, by providing them with basketball equipment.
For the past several weeks, kids have been collecting donations, and on Friday they will have a shoot-off and try to make as many shots as possible from three different spots on the floor in one minute.
Kerri Rode, who helped bring the Steve Nash program to Squamish, said the first year of the program has been a big success.
鈥淥ur hope with this program is to get kids started young in the sport because our kids are showing up in middle school and don鈥檛 have the skills to compete with schools on the North Shore,鈥� she said.
Rode said she developed a love for the sport growing up and wants to spread that to a new generation.
鈥淚 had a coach in North Vancouver who taught us a lot of the tricks and we learned a lot of the skills from there,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he game helped make the transition to high school easier for me.鈥�
She explained that kids learn both the basics of the game and fun tricks. Rode hired two Quest students and two Howe Sound Secondary School students to help coach. She noted that the program helps get coaches NCCP certified, a skill they can use to coach in the future.
鈥淚鈥檇 love to see basketball expanded and keep it available at the highest level for kids, because it鈥檚 such an awesome sport,鈥� she said.
Money raised from Friday鈥檚 fundraiser will buy equipment for Easter Seals 麻豆社国产and the North Shore Neighbourhood House.
Rode said she鈥檚 looking into doing after school programs for kids from Grade 2 to 5 and may run spring programs if the interest is there. The 麻豆社国产Steve Nash program currently runs in the fall from October to February.
For more details on the program, visit www.squamishyouthbasketball.com.聽
