Guelph's premier Basketball Development Service
Ball 4 All For Goodness Shake!
Ball 4 All provides youth in the Guelph area with access to education, skill building, fitness opportunities, social awareness, team work, sports competition, training and instruction, nutrition and a pantheon of guest speakers through a basketball themed program.
After 10 or 12 years of training athletes in the Guelph area through my Shake True Hoops program and achieving reasonable success at helping players to progress through the hierarchy of the sport, it occurred to me that not all kids had access to these methods of training, nor to th equipment and facilities. I decided to do what I could to open my program to everyone. Ball 4 All started in 2007 and became a year-round Not-for-Profit sports initiative in September 2011. The program offers weekly basketball training from October to May and includes: basketball training from 5-6pm; nutritional information from 6:05-6:10pm; nourishment provided by sponsors Boston Pizza and Market Fresh from 6:10-6:25pm; an educational component featuring various guest speakers from 6:25-6:40pm; and time to go home at 6:45pm. During the summer, 10-15 spots are reserved for Ball 4 All participants in my weekly outdoor basketball summer camp.
This is a program that for me is very rewarding. It isn't the type of reward in which I gain monetarily, nor do I gain from an ego perspective, for very few of these participants achieve basketball greatness and even if they should it would be their effort, not my instruction which would allow such progress. The reward is that of knowing that 10 to 20 years from now, this program will have had a positive effect for the majority of its' participants. Studies have shown that even one positive mentor can make the difference between a life of poor choices and one in which there is a greater degree of control in the choices to be made. Studies have also shown that girls who participate in sports in their youth are many times less likely to be involved in abusive relationships.
Fitness is another area in which the government insists there is a nationwide need. Fitness and nutrition go hand in hand at Ball 4 All where our nutrition experts Maritza Robertson of Health Insights Inc. and Aaron Giberson of Body Systems Nutrition provide great info on the dos and don'ts of healthy diets. A new partner for the Ball 4 All program is Tranquil Therapeutic Solutions, The Health and Wellness Centre. Dr. Phil McAllister and his team have offered not only to participate in our sessions but also to allow the kids to tour the facility. Also a joint venture is planned where both organizations collaborate on a series of Public Service Announcements that will combine health & basketball with the kids from Ball 4 All delivering a message for overall health.
The Ball 4 All coaches and volunteers are dedicated to providing a safe, nurturing, challenging, positive environment that will allow each participant to grow at his/her own pace while learning the fundamentals of a game he/she loves and being exposed to positive life skills.
The program has established a few successful fundraising initiatives, such as the 4 on 4 EarthShake Tournament and the Boston Pizza Car Wash. It is essential that we continue in this vein as we have a few new developments in the works including:
1. A joint Ball 4 All / CYO Knights rep basketball team has been formed for the first time and money is needed to secure a second van to transport the team to local tournaments as well as the insurance necessary to operate a vehicle. Sponsors of the second van could recoup the costs through advertising on the vehicle. See the pictures of the first van below, graciously donated by Sorbara Law.
2. The Ball 4 All kids have sponsored a Columbian girl named Angely. Every month we send a monetary donation to her and her family. Also discussed is the possibility of making an instructional basketball video that she could share with others in her village.
3. Another exciting addition to our scene is access for our older youth to the Tutor Mentorship program at The Bookshelf in conjunction with the University of Guelph.
4. It was deemed important that the focus of our group not be solely basketball so we feature guests from other walks of life. In our "Time Out For Nature" segment, we will display Ball 4 All's own Ball Python, "Jake the Snake" and invite our official sponsor Highway 24 Vet, Dr. Mary Thomson, to speak about pet care.
5. Over the last 4 years, Ball 4 All has received some positive attention from the media and hopes to foster an even stronger relationship with new outlets in the future. A more detailed Ball 4 All webpage is in the works as a complement to what already exists at www.shaketruehoops.com.
All of these efforts are worthwhile as they engender a sense of belonging, a yearning to participate, and a desire to affect the outcomes of situations. For many of the kids in the program this is new and exciting territory. There are great rewards in overcoming obstacles and these kids encounter challenges everyday. The opportunity to face some of those challenges armed with help from capable adults only serves to increase the confidence of the members. The self-empowerment they gain over time is invaluable and may be one of the reasons we have seen members come back as volunteers and even as coaches.
As Executive Director of Ball 4 All I am determined to see the program become an important contributing entity within the Guelph community. Should you or anyone you know be interested in helping our program in any way, don't hesitate to contact me at 519-827-0534.
Shake True Hoops has initiated this program to provide basketball training services to local neighbourhood groups with the help of sponsors: Sound SamSation Entertainment, The Bookshelf, Boston Pizza, John Leacock, The Cooperators Group, and Gateway Pet Memorial Services.
Now in its' 4th successful year, we're still seeking donations to support this worthwhile program geared towards disadvantaged youth.
Read More about Ball 4 All here
Article in May 2010 SNAP
Article in March 2010 SNAP
