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Warriors and California Endowment to Unveil Refurbished Basketball Courts in Richmond, California

Established 1946 | 7-time NBA Champions

The Golden State Warriors are tipping off this season’s “Step Up Your Game” initiative in partnership with private, statewide health foundation, The California Endowment, to unveil newly refurbished basketball courts at Martin Luther King Jr. Park (360 Harbour Way South) in Richmond, California in honor of Hall of Fame Inductee Mitch Richmond, it was announced today. Mitch Richmond and the Warriors Community Foundation will join The California Endowment, Healthy Richmond, the Richmond Community Foundation, the City of Richmond and local elected officials to unveil the new courts and conduct a basketball clinic for 50 local youth on Monday, October 20 from 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Youth from Richmond College Prep and the Richmond Police Athletic League (PAL) will attend the unveiling and participate in the Warriors Basketball Clinic. The new courts will feature a 14,000 square foot all-weather acrylic playing surface, four new NBA plexiglass hoop systems, new spectator seating and a drinking fountain.

The Warriors, working in collaboration with Good Tidings Foundation, have refurbished nearly 50 basketball courts around the Bay Area, helping to revitalize local neighborhoods and communities. Courts are resurfaced and receive new backboards, nets, rims, striping, and signage.

Throughout the 2014-15 season, the Step Up Your Game program will hold basketball court refurbishments, additional Warriors youth basketball clinics and Warriors Dance Team dance clinics that will address the need for youth-oriented programs in the Bay Area that seek to promote and reinforce positive lifestyle habits. For more information on Step Up Your Game, click here.

Step up your Game is a project of the Active Alliance, a partnership with: the NBA’s four California teams-- the Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers; HealthCorps, a not-for profit founded by Dr. Oz and his wife Lisa; and The California Endowment. The Active Alliance’s goal is to reach over 10,000 California kids in 2014 to measurably improve the health of children in their communities through exercise, nutrition and education.

The completion of the refurbished court is also an important step for the Nystrom United Revitalization Effort (NURVE) which is focused on improving the quality of life for youth and families and aims to revitalize the economy and improve quality of life in southern and central Richmond through building projects, initiatives and community partnerships, and greater connections between stakeholders.

Renovating basketball courts and creating other safe places to play is part of the The Endowment’s mission to make Health Happen in Neighborhoods. Children need safe places to play, so they can exercise and lead healthier lives.

About the Warriors Community Foundation
Established in 2012, the Warriors Community Foundation is dedicated to making a meaningful and lasting impact on the lives of underserved youth in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Foundation’s signature programs include philanthropic grants, basketball court refurbishments, and ticket donations. Last season, the Foundation launched the Hoops for Kids program that donated $387,000 to local youth organizations, unveiled refurbished courts in Oakland and San Francisco, and presented the inaugural Alvin Attles Community Impact Award to Warriors forward Harrison Barnes with a $15,000 donation in his honor to Boys & Girls Clubs of Oakland.

About The California Endowment and Healthy Richmond
The California Endowment, a private, statewide health foundation, was established in 1996 to expand access to affordable, quality health care for underserved individuals and communities, and to promote fundamental improvements in the health status of all Californians. Headquartered in downtown Los Angeles, The Endowment has regional offices in Sacramento, Oakland, Fresno and San Diego, with program staff working throughout the state. The Endowment challenges the conventional wisdom that medical settings and individual choices are solely responsible for people's health. The Endowment believes that health happens in neighborhoods, schools, and with prevention.
The Healthy Richmond initiative is part of The California Endowment's 10-year, $1 billion statewide initiative called Building Healthy Communities. The overarching goal of Building Healthy Communities is to create places where children are healthy, safe and ready to learn. Richmond/North Richmond is one of the 14 communities involved in this initiative, and Healthy Richmond is the name of the local effort.