WASHINGTON, D.C. – Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation and Hoops for Youth Foundation collaborated to provide a new outdoor basketball court for Horton’s Kids, a local nonprofit that provides education and enrichment programs to young people in Washington D.C.’s Ward 8. The unveiling of the new court took place as part of a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Horton’s Kids Community Resource Center in the Wellington Park neighborhood in Southeast D.C. The new court replaced a concrete-paved one and will benefit the children of Washington, D.C.’s, Ward 8.
“For 25 years Horton’s Kids has been serving the Ward 8 community, and we are so honored to work with the Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation and the Hoops for Youth Foundation to refurbish this basketball court for the children, “ said Brenda Chamberlain, executive director of Horton’s Kids. “The court means so much to the community; it enhances Horton’s Kids’ wrap-around services that help the children learn and stay healthy year-round.”
Chamberlain was joined by Representative Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.); Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D., D.C.); Ted Leonsis, founder, chairman, majority owner and CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment; Wizards players Otto Porter and Jan Vesely; and Paul Miller from the Leadership of the Hoops For Youth Foundation.
“It is very meaningful for our organization, our franchises and teams to be supportive of our community,” stated Leonsis. “We admire the great work that Horton’s Kids has done in Ward 8 and are pleased to know that this playground will be enjoyed by the kids for years to come.”
Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation: Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation supports the charitable efforts of the professional teams under its umbrella: the Washington Capitals, Mystics and Wizards. MSE Foundation is committed to the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area and focuses on the following five pillars to maximize its impact on the community: education and scholarship, hunger and homelessness, military and veterans’ affairs, pediatric health and fitness and youth basketball and hockey.
About Horton’s Kids: Horton’s Kids is a 25-year-old, 501(c)(3) organization that serves more than 500 youth and their families from the Wellington Park and Stanton Oaks neighborhoods in Washington, D.C.’s, Ward 8. Its wrap-around services include a variety of education, enrichment, advocacy and support programs. Horton’s Kids’ cornerstone is a thrice-weekly tutoring and mentoring program in the Rayburn House Office Building and the U.S. Department of Education. Horton’s Kids’ programs are made possible by more than 500 dedicated volunteers, many of whom work on Capitol Hill. More information is available at www.hortonskids.org.
Hoops for Youth Foundation: Hoops for Youth Foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports at-risk kids in our communities. Hoops for Youth Foundation provides the most basic tools that young people need to help them play team sports and face the many challenges of growing up in communities plagued by poverty and crime. Through its efforts Hoops for Youth offers kids, who may not get the love and support they need at home, an opportunity to grow and develop in a safe environment.
Photo 1: Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, Jan Vesely, Otto Porter and kids at the unveiling of the new basketball court at Horton’s Kids.
Photo 2: Ted Leonsis, founder, chairman, majority owner and CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment and Representative Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.);