Hull native Kate Kelley, a former basketball standout at Notre Dame Academy in Hingham and Bentley University, is organizing a benefit basketball tournament at Kenberma Park in Hull on July 16.
Kelley, a two-time Patriot Ledger All-Scholastic, has earmarked 85 percent of the proceeds for the Ubumwe Basketball Program that uses sports to promote togetherness and reconciliation among youth while supporting basketball development in Rwanda. The remaining 15 percent of money raised will benefit local sports programs.
Last summer, Kelley had a basketball clinic for girls that raised money for Hull High School girls basketball and a youth camp she organized in Kigali, Rwanda. The aim is to help families affected in the genocide.
“Rwanda is still healing from the devastation of genocide,” Kelley said. “The country has made tremendous progress in the last 17 years in terms of economic development and stability.”
She further pointed.“Sports in and of itself is a community building project,” adding that, “engaging local people and empowering them to serve the children in their communities gives them a sense of independence. Having parents standing around a basketball court cheering for their neighbors and their own children develops a sense of community.”
Kelley said teams participating in the tournament can have squads of up to four players for the three-on-three games. There will be male and female divisions for ages 10-12, 13-15, 16-18, 19-29 and 30 and older. Co-ed teams for ages 19-29 and 30 and older will also be able to compete.
Individuals signing up will be assigned to a team. The cost is $30 a person or $100 for a team.
There will be a maximum eight teams for each age group and games will last 10 minutes since each team will play at least two games. Prizes will include a free workout session with a college basketball player, Nike sneakers and gift certificates.
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