Boston Scenes 8-30-18: “Hoop Hop” Celebrates 5 Year Anniversary, Saturday, August 18, 2018!
Nonprofit organization, Hoop Hop celebrated its 5-year anniversary at the Annual Hoop Hop Basketball Tournament on August 18, 2018 at the Roxbury YMCA. Mayor Marty Walsh offered a warm welcome to the crowd by sharing congratulatory words and a message of encouragement; he also provided the opening tip off. Additionally, the office of Governor Charlie Baker issued a citation commending the organization for their dedication and hard work with youth and families in the Greater Boston community. Over 300 attendees also enjoyed Southern cuisine from Dorchester restaurant Down Home Delivery. The competition also featured raffled prizes and giveaways, face painting, a kid’s corner and live performances by youth quartet, “Roxbury Community Ensemble”. Planned Parenthood and the Dorchester Roxbury Mattapan chapter of National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) took part in the day by providing information booths at the accompanying community awareness resource fair. Additionally, 30 backpacks filled with school supplies were also provided to some of the youth. As a special addition to commemorate its 5th anniversary, Hoop Hop held an awards ceremony honoring top tier contributors and the best performing basketball players.
Hoop Hop’s mission is to invest in the future of the city’s youth, particularly in the areas of fitness, music, and arts education. Founded in 2014, recording artist Bakari Barrett set out to create equitable access to arts and cultural opportunities for youth in Greater Boston through creative programming of public and private space. “I wanted to connect local musicians with the community in the hopes of giving back,” said Barrett, Hoop Hop Founder and President. For the first three years after its inception, the competition had been held at Malcolm X Park in Roxbury, MA. But through the generous donation of space by the Roxbury YMCA executive director, Kathryn Saunders, the tournament moved to the Roxbury YMCA last year where attendance grew to well over 200 people at the Fourth Annual Hoop Hop Basketball Tournament. “The Roxbury Y is thrilled to host Hoop Hop’s 5th Annual Tournament! Their collective of musicians, artists and creators focused on our community’s families, perfectly mirrors our Y’s commitment to Youth Development, Healthy Living & Social Responsibility. A perfect partnership!,” remarked Saunders. Through sponsorships from donors such as OneUnited Bank, Bob’s Discount Furniture Charitable Foundation, and St. Mark’s Episcopal Church of Southborough, Hoop Hop plans to expand its reach and programming. In addition to the annual backpack giveaway, the organization will continue to partner with the YMCA, OneUnited Bank, NAMI and other organizations to offer quarterly workshops to youth on topics such as financial literacy, mental health, music production, studio engineering and other critical skill sets.
Hoop Hop, Inc. is a tax-exempt organization as described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
For more information, press only: Bakari Barrett at hoophop617@gmail.com
For more information on the Organization: www.hoophop617.com
Follow Us: www.facebook.com/hoophop617; www.instagram.com/hoophop617; www.twitter.com/hoophop617
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