Sixers Community News

Sixers Help Break New Ground at Wesley House

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The Philadelphia 76ers are one of the NBA’s upcoming teams, but for the people who run the every day operations of the organization they are more than just a basketball team. On Wednesday Sixers Charities participated with Ronald McDonald House Charities, Comcast-Spectacor Foundation, and Conoco Phillips in the groundbreaking ceremony of the brand new multi-purpose playground to be constructed at the Wesley House Emergency Shelter in Chester, Pennsylvania.

“For us to do something with our partner McDonald’s is great,” Sixers President and GM Ed Stefanski said. “To have a playground here for kids to play in a safe environment is terrific.”

"We have a long standing relationship with Sixers Charities," Ronald McDonald House Charities Board Member Mike Anton said. "And we are always looking to go out into the neighborhoods and impact the children and communities that we do business with."

Stefanski also commented that it was a great opportunity for the Sixers to give back to the surrounding community. That message was the common theme of the day, as the Sixers wanted to show that they truly do care about the families and children in the Delaware County area.

“It sends a message that we want to be involved, and that we aren’t just involved during the basketball season, we’re involved 12 months of the year, and we’re involved for the right reasons. It’s just not for basketball but to uplift the communities that we are a part of,” 76ers Executive Advisor Sonny Hill said at the ceremony. “When we can do something like this, it just gives us another opportunity to put our brand on what it is that is going on, and gives us an opportunity to reach out to a place like Chester that needs support.”

The Wesley House Emergency Shelter is a 68-bed facility serving homeless families with children in the Delaware County. The shelter has undergone major renovations since 2003, including rehabilitating the first and second floors, building of a new annex and opening a state-of-the-art childcare facility. The on-going and final stage of the overall renovation process is site work on the recreational areas of the facility.

Construction of the playground was made possible by initial funding provided by a Ronald McDonald House Charities grant and an in-kind contribution from the Comcast-Spectacor Foundation which runs Sixers Charities. The funding will go towards the design and implementation of a multi-purpose playground that addresses children’s recreational needs throughout the stages of child development. This stimulating environment will include a sport-court, provided as a part of Sixers Charities Playground Rebound initiative, which will be designed for activities including basketball.

Comcast-Spectacor Foundation Senior Vice President Mary Ann Saleski, who brought together the various sponsors, said Playground Rebound is the perfect example of how the Sixers use basketball to help the community.

“The Playground Rebound initiative shows that we are more than just basketball. We use basketball as a hook to get people involved and to show that others can better their lives through building discipline, self confidence, and perserverance,” Saleski said.

The playground is the final phase of the 1.3 million dollar renovations made to improve the quality of life for the families of the facility over the last few years.