ATLANTA HAWKS FOUNDATION TO RESTORE HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD BASKETBALL COURTS WITH $50,000 GRANT
Renovation of Four Basketball Courts Slated for Central Park in Conjunction with Year of Boulevard Initiative
ATLANTA,
September 19, 2012 -
The Atlanta Hawks Foundation
today announced the donation of $50,000 to the City of Atlanta to restore all of
the basketball courts in the Old Fourth Ward’s Central Park. The donation to
Central Park is in support of Atlanta City Councilmember Kwanza Hall’s Year of
Boulevard initiative, a comprehensive effort aimed at revitalizing Council
District 2’s Boulevard corridor through public safety improvements,
social and economic development opportunities, and youth programming.
Renovation of the four courts will begin the week of September 24 and be
completed by the end of October.
“The
Atlanta Hawks Foundation strives to insure that the future of Atlanta’s youth is
bright and to help our city’s young people realize their dreams,” said Bob
Williams, President of the Atlanta Hawks and Philips Arena. “By renewing a sense
of community at Central Park through the sport of basketball and by supporting
Councilmember Kwanza Hall’s Year of Boulevard initiative, our hope is that we
are making a positive difference in the lives of all residents of Old Fourth
Ward through this investment in Atlanta’s youth.
Annually,
Central Park serves more than 500 kids under the age of 18 through summer
basketball leagues and after school programming. The renovation of the four
basketball courts marks the first investment in the neighborhood park in more
than a decade and the largest single donation to the Year of Boulevard
initiative to date.
“This is a
great vote of confidence in the future of the Boulevard corridor,” said Atlanta
City Councilmember Kwanza Hall. “When I was growing up in the Adams Park
neighborhood, quality athletic facilities reinforced the positive messages that
we received from our parents, pastors, and teachers everyday: that we were
valued, that good sportsmanship would be rewarded, that team work was the dream
work. I am grateful to the Atlanta Hawks Foundation for helping us bring that
message to Boulevard youth today.”
Each of the
basketball courts will receive new paving, painting, backboards and rims and be
branded with the Atlanta Hawks logo.
For more
information on The Atlanta Hawks and all of the team’s community outreach,
please visit
www.hawks.com.
For more
information on the Year of Boulevard, please visit
www.yoboulevard.com
and District2Atlanta on Facebook.
About
the Atlanta Hawks Foundation
The Atlanta Hawks
Foundation has, since its inception in 1988, contributed millions of dollars in
monetary and in-kind donations to the community, including awarding scholarship
to high school seniors and providing grants to local nonprofits.
The Atlanta Hawks Foundation is
dedicated to improving the quality of life of Georgia youth by inspiring them to
develop a passion for learning and a commitment to physical fitness and
recreation. By creating programs and forging partnerships with local agencies,
the foundation continues to impact the lives of Georgia's young people.