On Thursday, June 5, the Warriors Community Foundation and PG&E joined the Good Tidings Foundation to renovate the Boys & Girls Club basketball court at the Columbia Park Clubhouse in San Francisco’s Mission district. Warriors forward Harrison Barnes and President and Chief Operating Officer Rick Welts visited the Boys & Girls Club to unveil the new court and share encouraging words with the kids.
“This is a great looking court, and the best part is that it’s all yours this summer to play and have fun,” said Barnes.
A member of the Boys and Girls Club of Ames, Iowa, Barnes spent much of his youth playing sports and honing his craft at the Boys and Girls Club basketball court, and was excited to present this sparkling new court to his fellow members.
“You are all extremely fortunate to have a gym like this to come and practice and play every day,” said Barnes. “Maybe if I had a place like this to practice growing up, I would have become a better player than I am now.”
Over the two previous weeks, the Warriors, PG&E and the Good Tidings Foundation, along with an assist from Benjamin Moore & Co., visited Columbia Park Clubhouse to refurbish the floor surface, clean, repaint and install new scoreboards, Warriors-branded wall padding, backboards and rims.
“It’s hard to believe that this is the same court that I saw two weeks ago, and I know the kids can hardly believe that they can play in a state of the art facility like this one all summer,” said Boys & Girls Club of San Francisco President Rob Connolly.
After the ceremonial tip off, Warriors Youth Basketball staff sent Boys & Girls Club members into basketball drills and stations, with Barnes playing a game of one on one with each lucky youth.
“These young men and women are extremely fortunate to have a local program such as the Boys & Girls Club and a community around them that prioritizes their positive experiences, development and personal well-being,” said Welts. “If they one day develop into the kind of person that Harrison Barnes is, they should consider themselves successful.”
Before leaving the event, each Boys & Girls Club of San Francisco member received a Warriors gift bag, a satisfying conclusion to an exciting start for their summer program.
“I’m excited for these guys to use this new gym as much as they can and to continue on the path they’ve set for themselves,” said Barnes.
This is the first of two court renovations that the Warriors Community Foundation and PG&E will team up to beautify and refurbish this offseason. Later this summer, the two will join the City of Oakland Parks & Recreation department to renovate Oakland’s San Antonio Park and Recreation Center.
“The Golden State Warriors and PG&E are committed to providing positive experiences and safe environments for children throughout the Bay Area, and renovations like the one completed today exemplify that,” said PG&E Vice President of Community Relations and Chief Sustainability Officer Ezra Garrett.
The Warriors Community Foundation would like to thank the Good Tidings Foundation and Benjamin Moore & Co for making the team’s 49th court refurbishment in the Bay Area a success.