Melbourne United point guard Stephen Dennis came down to Helping Hoops Richmond on Thursday, January 15 to play basketball with our kids and hand out some goodies. Stephen also spoke to the group about the challenges he faced with his recent achilles injury, and what lessons basketball has taught him on and off the court.
Stephen has supported Helping Hoops in the past by participating in the 2014 24 Hour Charity Shootout, where he shot an impressive 294 free throws in 15 minutes.
Helping Hoops is an official Charity Partner of Melbourne United. The partnership sees us attend every United game, where we run pre-game activities for the crowd, and gives our children an opportunity to meet players like Stephen and see him in action. In 2014-15, we have also introduced the Three Point Community Sponsorship, in which Sportsmart donates $40 for every three-pointer made by Stephen and his Melbourne United team mates.
Having role models visit Helping Hoops programs is important as it reinforces the lesson and values taught by our coaches on a weekly basis. Hard work, dedication, discipline, and determination are qualities held by players like Stephen Dennis, and it is wonderful to be able to expose our children to strong and positive members of the community they can look up to.
