Female Athletes Encouraged to Give Back to the Game

Guest blog by Tanya Callaghan, Founder & Director of girls addicted to basketball (g.a.b), a not-for-profit organization that educates, builds confidence, and empowers female youth to lead healthy lifestyles through basketball

As spring arrives and graduating high school students await their acceptance letters into the college or university of their choice, girls addicted to basketball would like to encourage youth to volunteer and give back to their community as leaders.

At g.a.b, we are always looking for youth volunteers, especially those who have been participants in any one of our programs or events. We value a student-athlete’s ability to prioritize, manage their time, and excel in their academics while giving back to the basketball community. We believe in empowering female youth who demonstrate these qualities while pursuing their career dreams by awarding them with a financial scholarship during their first year of post-secondary school. All eligible girls are encouraged to fill out an application to be considered for our 2018 g.a.b scholarship.

November 25, 2017 marked the second annual scholarship fundraiser, the 3×3 Crossover – Driving Youth Towards A Higher Education, hosted by girls addicted to basketball in partnership with Lead Thru Sport. At the event, g.a.b awarded three $1,000 scholarships.

The presentation of the scholarship award winners started with last year’s recipient, Roberta Kamba, “paying it forward” by inspiring the 3×3 Crossover participants about what it meant to be a student-athlete at Champlain College while pursuing her dream to become a nurse and how the scholarship money helped her. Ryerson University’s Women’s Basketball Assistant Coach Jessica Roque echoed the same message while giving advice on the importance of setting goals.

Three $1,000 scholarships were given to the following youth:

• Stella Curcio – Criminology at Carleton University, Volunteer for g.a.b
• Kayla Pereira – Automotive Service Technician at Centennial College, #23 Centennial Colts Player
• Francesca Bellini – Economics at George Brown, #11 George Brown Huskies Player

The entire day was filled with squeaky shoes, music in the background, and parents and fans cheering in the upstairs gallery while they looked on to the six courts with  three divisions: Women’s 19+, U19 and U16. Once all the round robin play was over, participants had a chance to compete in the three-point competition. All division teams competed against each other for the ultimate Three-Point Champion, which was awarded to Mel Scipio from Team Inspiration in the Women’s Division. An honorable mention goes to U16 Desiree Maclennan from Team Kincardine Knights, who kept up with Mel averaging the same points until the last round.

 

As the playoffs began, Ryerson University’s Kerr Hall Gymnasium saw teams get eliminated and found itself left with two teams from each division to fight for the ultimate title: Champions!

Congratulations to all the Champions:

 

 

 

g.a.b sincerely thanks all the teams for participating. An honorable mention goes to the Hungry Hippos for donating their cash prize back to g.a.b.

On behalf of girls addicted to basketball and Lead Thru Sport, we would like to thank TD Canada Trust, Lush, Cineplex Entertainment, Ryerson University, Optima Communications International Inc., TABO Officials, Canada Basketball, Clement Chu, The Photographer, S&S Media, and all our volunteers for supporting our organization. The event could not have happened without your support!

Save the date! Saturday, November 24, 2018 is g.a.b’s third annual 3×3 Crossover Fundraiser. The event is expanding to include a U14 division.

Learn more about the 2018 3×3 Crossover Fundraiser.