|
|
 |
| |
|
"Now the goal of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unpretended." 1 TIM 1:5
Community service is a key aspect of STARZZ Basketball. Collectively, STARZZ Basketball has a geniune desire, and perhaps social obligation, to give back when and where it's appropriate. Our Community Outreach program seeks to give back to the Copperas Cove community who support our program, our players, and the rest of our community.
We will support several programs, some of which include Make-A-Difference Day, Feast of Sharing, and Relay for Life to name just a few. We welcome all community-minded individuals to join us!
All players and families are expected to participate in team organized community service events to the best of their abilities. |
|
OUTREACH PROJECTS 2009
|
iHOOPS SKILLS CHALLENGE ... LOCAL COMPETITON FOR REGIONAL QUALIFIER
January 18, 2010 Time/Location To Be Determined!.
|
Copperas Cove Community Comes Together For Pre-Thanksgiving Meal (November 19, 2009)
Posted On: Sunday, Nov. 22 2009 05:37 AM
By Alicia Lacy Killeen Daily Herald
Young and old gather in the spirit of community, service and fellowship to break bread each year with the essence of the Thanksgiving holiday at the heart of the event held at the Copperas Cove Civic Center.
This year, the 12th annual Feast of Sharing drew hundreds for the community meal that was catered by the Yumm Factory Café in Lampasas.
The pre-Thanksgiving feast included turkey and ham with all the fixings and guests finished off with pumpkin pie topped with whipped cream.
Community ... In a quick look around the Civic Center, old and young were observed working together serving plates and pouring drinks and sharing a meal as old friends chat and catch up.
"Many people meet here once a year," said Mike Blount of the Noon Exchange Club. "I like seeing the diversity of people," said first-time volunteer Angela Colbert with the Copperas Cove Housing Authority. "It's not just the elderly. It's the young children, the middle-aged adults and the elderly, and they're all sitting down and talking together."
Leona Marshall began coming to the dinners with her mom who got tickets a few years ago. The event has become a tradition for her family and friends. "It's when all of Cove comes together, and we consider Cove our family," Marshall said. The feast is a chance to see friends and neighbors. "We're a small community, and we want to keep our community connected with one another," Blount said. "People in this town are caring folks."
Service ... Not only was the event an opportunity for the community to share a meal, but a way for many to give back to the community through their service.
"I've been living in Copperas Cove for a long time, and when it comes to doing stuff like this for the community and helping people at home, it makes me happy," Colbert said Thursday. "They had to make me sit down and eat." Mayor John Hull said the event is good for the entire city. "It gets people out to enjoy a meal, and I've seen people here tonight that I haven't seen in a while," he said Thursday.
"I'm impressed with the amount of help and the young people helping. It's outstanding," Hull said. "They don't put enough praise out there for young people." Kristina Myers enlisted the help of her seven kids ranging in age from 9 to 15. "Last year was the first year," Myers said. Myers said the event is an opportunity for her children to "learn to do something for others." Her children all said they enjoyed being able to help people.
Volunteer Dorothy Brown with the Starzz program said this was her third year volunteering at the event. Brown said the first time she volunteered was because her parents told her to, but she continues to volunteer "because I enjoy it."
Noon Exchange Club member Bill Minton has been volunteering with the event since 1999. "The Noon Exchange Club is a community service organization, and this is one of the ways we give back," Minton said.
Members of the Starzz basketball program were one of the groups volunteering at the event Thursday. Dorothy Lyons, co-director of the program said the event was a good way for the kids to learn about volunteerism. "I love volunteering," she added.
History ... The Feast of Sharing began in 1998. According to records from the Noon Exchange Club, Terry McGraw, who was the manager of Walmart at the time, approached Bud Owsley, a council member, with ideas for a community project the store could participate in offering $3,000 for the event. The result was a workshop where the council decided to co-sponsor a Thanksgiving dinner the Thursday before the holiday for low-income residents, the elderly and low-ranking military personnel and their families.
With Walmart providing items for the meal, Owsley, Paula Wallis and Elfriede Widup cooked the meal that served more than 300 people. Employees of the city, members from the Noon Exchange Club, Boy and Girl Scouts and other organizations in the community volunteered for the first event. "It was initially for the elderly, and it's evolved and grown because we opened it up to everybody," Blount said.
In order to accommodate to the event's growth, organizers made a decision three years ago to have the event catered. "We've had as many as 500," Blount said about the attendance to the meal. Entertainment used to be provided every year, but Blount said organizers learned that people would rather "do what they're doing now – talking to each other."
The HOP bus system provides transportation for those at the Copperas Cove Housing Authority and Sunshine Home Apartments and the Boys and Girls Club provides transportation for home-bound or those without transportation.
The Noon Exchange Club funds a portion of the meal and the city funds a portion with the city providing the facility, Ken Wilson, city's director of community services said. "It's a great opportunity for the city to provide additional services to the citizens of Copperas Cove in the spirit of the holiday season," Wilson said.
|
RELAY FOR LIFE (April 2, 2009)
Relay For Life is the American Cancer's Society signature activity. It offers everyone in a community an opportunity to participate in the fight against cancer.
(Picture 1) Alisa Merriwether, Michelle Crabtree, Jalynn Bonner, Charles Lyons, and Regina bonner at the start of the Copperas Cove "Relay For Life" event, May 29, 2009. (Picture 2) Charles and Dorothy handing out bottled water, donated by Wal-Mart, to "Relay For Life" participants.
|
Jr. NBA/WNBA Skills Challenge (February 16, 2009)
On February 16, local youngsters between the ages of 9 and 14 had the opportunity to participate in the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Skills Challenge, sponsored by Singulair, and hosted by STARZZ Basketball and the Copperas Cove Parks and Recreation Department, at the Ave E gym in Copperas Cove. This grassroots program provides boys and girls, competing separately, a free opportunity to showcase their excellence in the core basketball skills of shooting, dribbling, and passing. The Skills Challenge is also intended to encourage youth participation in sports while promoting sportsmanship.
The following participants won 1st Place honors in thier respective age and gender groups:
Boys Name Girls Name
Age 9-10 Josiah Jimboy Age 9-10 Pria Chanel Johnson
Age 11-12 Rashard Odomes Age 11-12 Rachelle Allen
Age 13-14 Qwoy Blunt Age 13-14 Jasmin Lyons
These Champions will now have the opportunity to compete in the Regional Competition, to be held at a date/location to be determined. This is one (1) of 35 Regional Competitions being held across the country that will determine those youngsters advancing to Orlando, Florida for the National Finals.
| |
|
