Midnight Basketball: Need Coaches and Volunteers

The popular Midnight Basketball program is back at Nolan Richardson Recreation Center. A couple of years ago, a neighborhood advocate toured me with the surrounding neighborhood commonly refered to as the Devil's Triangle. The neighborhood has some great assetts--the recreation center, a senior center, a great shady park with lots of trees--but it also has some pretty significant challenges. Drug dealing and prostitution are everyday events. There are large apartment complexes that are in disrepair or boarded up. There is a lot of poverty. There are also a lot of kids in the neighborhood who need fun, safe things to do. The neighborhood advocate complained that there was not enough things to do and that the rec center wasn't open when the kids needed things to do and that some of the programming was out of reach because of the associated fees.

We provided scholarships for kids who could not afford programming and we instituted a Midnight Basketball program. It started off last year but wasn't a traditional Midnight Basketball program. Several sports were offered. It ended at 9 P.M. We got some participation from neighborhood kids but it was clear that they wanted something different. This year, it is just basketball and the program is on Thursday and Friday nights from 9 P.M. to midnight. There are a ton of kids participating and really enjoying it. The competition is fierce.

But we need some more help. We have staff managing the program and we have referees, but we need coaches and folks willing just to come out and hang out with kids. Volunteers can sign up to be a coach for the full length of the program or they can just pop in when they have some time.

Let me know if you are interested. I can be reached by email at byrdsm@elpasotexas.gov.