Chi-League All Star Game Unites the Community
The Chi-League All Star Game, held at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, 211 S. Laflin St., a fun array of summer activities and basketball that was free and open to the community, showcased this past weekend. Chi League was created in 2013 by Nike to bring dynamic summer "hoops" options to the Chicagoland area.
“Chi League Parks was a tremendous success in 2013 and serves as an example of how business, communities and government can come together to support Chicago’s youth while also creating area jobs,” said Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “It’s important that our kids have access to safe activities and positive role models in the summer, and I commend Nike for doubling down on this successful program to reach even more young people.”
Comprised of a trio of programs including Chi League Pro-Am, Chi League Parks and Chi League School, in its entirety, Chi League programs will create a total of 150 area jobs this year.
Chi League Pro-Am is a competitive basketball league developed specifically for semi-professional players.
Chi League Parks are a series of free basketball skills clinics in citywide parks, giving Chicago's children a safe, healthy place to play.
Chi League School is an intensive basketball and life skills development program for high school student-athletes who want to improve their skills but do not have the opportunity to get invited to premier off-season leagues.
“The whole point of [Chi-League] is to give kids a safe place to play basketball; that’s not always an opportunity for children,” said Nike, Inc. Communication Manager Lisa Beachy. “We want to make sure that they’re fit and active and that they have an active lifestyle and by creating Chi-League we give them a safe place to play and to help them develop life skills through sport.”
“Within all Chi-League programs, Chi-League Parks and Chi-League Schools specifically, each one of those has a mentorship component to it. We want to make sure that these kids definitely learn how to play but they can take those skills of sport and adapt them to their daily life. We want to make sure that they take of sport in that discipline and then put that action into [their] school work, their daily lives, [and] their community,” Beachy thoroughly explained.
During the Chi-League event at Whitney Young, community members had access to free haircuts, food, games, t-shirts, face painting, and more.
“Any company that sells things to the Chicago youngsters should have something like this and I come to support it because we need all of the support we can give to our youngsters,” said Ron Eskridge. “We can have things in the community that’s going to be safe.”
“[Chi-League] is great, I love it,” said former Chicago Bulls all-star Scottie Pippen, who judged the dunk competition for the second year in a row. “This is something that’s been missing here for a long time and you see the turnout with the crowds, the excitement from the players, it brings a lot of energy and it keeps a little bit of the trouble down as well. I know that the players are really enjoying it.”
Pippen, who is the Special Advisor to the Chicago Bulls’ President & COO, Michael Reinsdorf, has been supportive of Chi-League since its inception.
“Tonight has been amazing especially coming off of a day where we’ve had so many tragic stories about violence in Chicago,” said NBC news anchor Michelle Relerford, who also judged the dunk competition. “To see Scottie Pippen here and so many of the athletes born and raised in Chicago that have gone on to do bigger and better things with their lives and to see them coming back, spending their time, investing their energy into this community and the young people is really great. It’s a great program, I’m happy to be a part of it and I hope to see it in Chicago for a long time to come.”
For more information visit http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/chi-league-parks/.
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