On July 12, Obama Works of York organized a youth basketball tournament, which they dubbed “Hoops for Hope.” Here’s more from our friend Laura:

Last weekend, Obama Works of York, PA, along with Hoopsters Basketball, hosted a “Hoops for Hope” basketball event showcasing the talents of our local youth, ages five through fourteen.  

 

The intent was to shift our efforts into events that will bring kids off the streets and into organized activities. And the theme of the day, of course, was community service.  The message sent out to the seventy youth playing ball and to a large crowd of parents and fans was “Your actions and involvement do matter. Barack Obama needs your vote but he has said all along that one person alone cannot change this country. He is asking us to get involved in our community and together we can make an extraordinary difference.”

 Obama Works raised $400 to provide shirts (with the Obama Works logo) to all York players as well as another fifty shirts for giveaways. We brought the sound system, five speakers (two local politicians, two young men involved in community service, and one Obama Fellow)  as well as two inspirational rappers to speak and perform between games. The official campaign sent volunteers to register voters. Obama Works provided a sweep team to clean the park during and after the event. An Obama gear salesman was on hand. And Hoopsters provided the teams, referees, and a concession stand.

 

All in all, this was a great event!  We got to watch some incredible ball, interact with the community, make new friends, and introduce the kids to Barack Obama’s messages of hope and change created through public service. 

Pretty incredible, if you ask me! A big thanks to all the inspiring folks over in York, PA!