Pick up Games, powered by kids!

On February 16th and 17th we held the first Pick up Games. 24 kids aged 5 through 10, mostly from the MLK organization in Springfield, Ma arrived at 6 pm at Fredrick Harris School to play the first Pick up Games.

Kids taking charge!

Mikey, son of Mychal Connolly my entrepreneur mentor, refereed our 8 and under game. He started off the game making no calls and almost disappearing into a corner. His father stood on the baseline encouraging him to make a call. “Didn’t you see that foul son?” his dad exclaimed. I walked over to Mikey and whispered in his ear “don’t be afraid to make a call, no matter what you call, I got your back”. Slowly Mikey started to make calls, and you could see his confidence grow in this new role. Big Jordan worked the scoreboard and the time clock with guidance from Coach Vaughn while she kept the stats for the players (which can be seen at www.jcpickupgamesoredhelp.com).

We need talent!

Our next Pick up Games will occur the week of March 7th (with approval of the rec department) and we need more talent. Mikey’s growth in both his confidence and assertiveness in this new role helped him to view the basketball game from a different perspective. Your child too can learn new skills and develop leadership, communication and improve their social skills through one of the many roles available at Pick up Games. Pick up Games are more than a basketball game, it's a kid powered platform!