Titusville basketball team members to help kids shop for Christmas
Mikey Soma says he is more familiar with navigating the basketball court than necessarily picking out Christmas gifts.
But come Friday, the day before Christmas Eve, the 16-year-old point guard for Astronaut High School’s basketball team will be one of at least 50 young volunteers who will lead children in Titusville, Mims and Cocoa through the aisles of Wal-Mart to pick out toys and other goods. Some of the youth may even make their hoop dreams a reality by picking out basketballs and talking with the older players, organizers say.
“I think it’s great,” says the 10th grade Astronaut High student, part of the group Hope for North Brevard’s fourth annual Shop With the Block holiday outing for area youth ages 5-to-12 years old.
“It’s nice to have people to help give back and to help others who might not have, have a good Christmas.”
The event – sponsored by Wal-Mart and Cocoa Beach Surf Company - will take place 5 to 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Wal-Mart on U.S. Highway 50 in Titusville, said Barry Forbes, board president for Hope for North Brevard, a non-profit community-based organization focused on youth services. Stacey Lincoln, a volunteer with the group said the idea of recruiting basketball players to help serves a dual purpose.
About 100 children, who are pre-registered for the program, will be given $50 gift cards to help shop for presents.
“This gives the youth a chance to see those they admire helping out and then it also puts (the players) in a position of serving their communities,” said Lincoln, a community advocate based in Titusville. Some of the youth have families who are struggling.
Hope for North Brevard, which also mentors youth, teamed up with Lincoln in recent years with sports figures like NFL player Latavius Murray, Lincoln’s nephew, to help with reaching out to at-risk youth and providing meals for those in need in Titusville and Mims.
Astronaut High assistant basketball coach Luke Forbes, the board director's son, praised the group’s efforts at pairing players with children from the community.
“This is really great for our players because it allows them to get out in the community and support something that is good,” Forbes said.
“Our team members are good kids and come from good families. Some do have challenges to overcome but this is what it’s about. We want to make better people, not just have better players,” he said.
“That’s our primary goal.”
J.D. Gallop is a Criminal Justice/Breaking News Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or jgallop@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @JDGallop.
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Titusville basketball players to help children go Christmas shopping
