First Annual Hoops for Hope Tournament Raises $900
Arcadia University held the first annual Hoops for Hope, a 3v3 Basketball Tournament benefitting Sports4HOPE and Arcadia University’s chapter of IMPACT on April 18. The event raised approximately $900, with the help of President Carl (Tobey) Oxholm III and his wife, Kim, who agreed to match the donations given at the door.
“It went over very well for our first event,” says IMPACT co-founder Stephen Tyson ’13M. “We had a total of 11 teams participate with the winning team, Shot Callers, comprised of Aaron Groce, Khalief Trawick and Malcolm Still. The most memorable part of the evening came from Cheltenham Elementary school students and their mentors, part of an ‘At-Risk’ program that encourages at-risk children to consider college, who heard of the event and came by to cheer on the players and support a good cause.”
Seventy percent of the funds benefit Sports4HOPE, a non-profit organization currently on the ground in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), working to prevent and reconcile conflicts by inspiring hope, improving the quality of life, and empowering youth in conflict-affected areas through sport and peace education.
Sports4HOPE was originally conceived for a class project by Stephen Reynard, Rachel Brophy and Selina Coleman, three 2010 graduates of Arcadia University’s Master’s Program in International Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR). Thirty percent of the funds benefit Arcadia’s chapter of IMPACT (Intelligent Men-of-Color Purposefully Accomplishing College Together), a multicultural men’s organization which works to mentor youth toward a path of college success.
In addition, more than 50 lbs. of clothing and a case of assorted canned goods were collected for local homeless and women’s shelters.
The event was organized as part of an experiential learning initiative for current Arcadia IPCR course Non-Governmental Organization Management, instructed by Dr. Maryam Deloffre, Assistant Director of Arcadia’s IPCR program. With her guidance, students have applied theories and frameworks of nonprofit strategic management and leadership to real-world problems and for the fundraising module have consulted for Sports4HOPE.
The tournament was co-sponsored by Arcadia University’s IPCR program, the Black Male Development Symposium (BMDS) and several of Arcadia’s student club groups, including the Black Awareness Society, POWER, For The Women and the Society for the Advancement of Business Administration.
