The season of giving continues!
Over the last few weeks, the team has been busy off-the-court, ensuring that the community has a joyful holiday season. Jevon Carter recently delivered 250 coats to students at a local elementary school and helped 10 families prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday with a grocery shopping trip to Jewel-Osco, Dalen Terry spent the afternoon delivering food to an after-school youth group, Torrey Craig took 20 Boys and Girls Club Chicago youth to Build-A-Bear to stuff their favorite bear, and the holiday season has just begun!
Last week, Chicago Bulls partnered with Gallagher to host a 3x3 basketball tournament for 30 South Loop Elementary School students. Together, the Bulls and Gallagher gifted students surprise Bulls tickets and holiday gifts bags that included Sabrina Ionescu basketball shoes, drawstring bags, Bulls t-shirts and basketballs.
“The tournament was something that is beyond my students’ belief. It was an opportunity for them to understand what hard work means,” said South Loop Elementary School Principal Tara Shelton. “The experience aligns with the values of our Lion pride – empathy, teamwork, leadership and hard work. We are fortunate that the Chicago Bulls presented us with this opportunity and created an experience that they will never forget.”
Prior to the tournament, students were invited to watch the Bulls practice and meet the team. Players served as coaches, teaching students layups and other techniques and running them through various plays. Through several 6-minute games, 10 teams battled for a spot in the final round. The tournament not only created a safe and meaningful experience for students, but also taught the importance of perseverance and teamwork.
“Being from Chicago, giving back is extremely important to me. Opportunities such as this tournament give the students more to look forward to outside of school,” said 2023 Offseason NBA Cares Community Assist Award recipient Ayo Dosunmu. “These are memories that may last a lifetime for some of these students and anytime I'm able to be a part of that, I always take the opportunity.”
Together, the Bulls and Gallagher believe that every student deserves equal access to opportunities that allow youth to prosper and develop both mentally and physically. By investing in health and wellness, education and providing them with unique experiences, the students have the ability to gain confidence and excel in new ways, guiding them towards a healthy lifestyle. This event aligns with the Chicago Bulls ongoing commitment to preventing community violence through education, community investment, health and wellness and opportunity access.
“The Bulls are committed to providing safe spaces for youth to live healthy lives and in Chicago, there’s barriers to that – one, there's the weather and two, there's a lot of violence in the city,” said Vice President of Community Engagement Adrienne Scherenzel. “Because of those barriers, we aim to use our facilities and resources to create those safe spaces for youth. With this being the only event this season where we have the whole team together, we wanted to provide everyone with an experience that they could enjoy and act as leaders to the youth.”