Will the next great NYC ball player start here? Who knows but for this summer, middle and high school kids in Harlem and across the city will have a new gym for a 12-week hoops clinic and basketball tournament. The basketball court, inside Democracy Prep Harlem Charter School in New York City, was renovated with a new floor as part of ESPN and LISC’s Home Court program, which aims to improve the quality and accessibility of neighborhoods gyms. The NBA and NBA Cares joined in to provide equipment and uniforms for the grand re-opening.
July 18, 2017 (New York, NY) - At 3:00 PM Democracy Prep Harlem Charter School will celebrate the recent completion of renovations to their school’s gymnasium with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The gym at Democracy Prep Harlem Charter School received a new floor thanks in part to a $15,000 grant from the LISC/ESPN Home Court Program.
The grant to Democracy Prep Harlem Charter School (DPHCS) from ESPN and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), the nation’s leading community development support organization, was part of $150,000 allocated from the most recent round of grants awarded.
The LISC/ESPN Home Court Program is a collaboration between ESPN and LISC that provides non-profit, neighborhood-based organizations, middle schools and high schools with financing and technical assistance to improve the quality, safety, and accessibility of local basketball courts in selected markets.
The gym at DPHCS is home to physical education classes and school athletics and in the summer, DPHCS uses the space for a 12-week USA Basketball clinic. DPHCS also plans to collaborate with the Charter School Athletics Association for a citywide tournament of 85-125 games for middle and high school students. Jr. NBA and NBA Cares have agreed to provide t-shirts, basketballs and a fitness kit to the school to help celebrate the new facility.
LISC identifies local, nonprofit, community-based agencies that have an interest in building or refurbishing basketball courts in schools and neighborhood parks. Through the program, local agencies are provided with the necessary financing and technical assistance to improve the quality and safety of courts in their communities. The agencies oversee the construction, maintenance and programming of the courts.
“Safe and accessible recreational facilities are essential to fostering active, healthy communities. They go hand in hand with good neighborhood quality of life” said Beverly Smith, LISC’s national director of Sports & Recreation. “This grant was a strategic investment in recreational space that will pay dividends in improving the lives of young people and in the health of the community”.
“Basketball courts can serve as tremendous neighborhood assets,” said Kevin Martinez, vice president of ESPN Corporate Citizenship. “They provide more young people the ability to access to sports, which ultimately contributes to better health and quality of life for those in the community.”
About ESPN Corporate Citizenship
ESPN believes that, at its very best, sports uplift the human spirit. Its corporate citizenship programs use power of sport to positively address society’s needs through strategic community investments, cause marketing programs, collaboration with sports organizations, and employee volunteerism, while also utilizing its diverse media assets. For more information go to www.espn.com/citizenship.
About LISC
LISC combines corporate, government and philanthropic resources to help nonprofit community development corporations revitalize distressed neighborhoods. Since 1980, LISC has raised more than $17.3 billion to build or rehab more than 365,922 affordable homes and develop 61 million square feet of retail, community and educational space nationwide. LISC support has leveraged nearly $52 billion in total development activity.