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On June 18th, “Basketball Power” program, founded by Kazickas Family Foundation and carried out by Capital basketball school, finished its 2015-2016 year season, attracting over 200 children from 18 different towns to a day of fun in Utena arena.
For the second year in a row, “Basketball Power” coaches work with children from high risk families with a vision to successfully integrate them into the society.
Over 200 hundred children from 18 different towns together with their counselors from day centers and Kazickas family members had an opportunity to compete in various relays and activities, check skills on the basketball court and dance a mass dance with the cheerleaders of basketball club “Juventus.” All “basketball Power” participants had lunch as “one big family.”
Participants were excited to hear the congratulatory speech of Zydrunas Urbonas, Utena council member who used to be Lithuania’s basketball player. John Kazickas also expressed how proud he was of all the participants and their coaches. “Basketball Power” second season was concluded with team awards, prizes and everyone was send home with huge smiles on their faces.
“Basketball Power” is a social responsibility program with a mission to attract society’s attention to children growing up in high risk families, to the quality of their childhood and adolescence. “Basketball Power” initiator Kazickas family’s youngest member - Peter Kazickas. Programs coordinators in Lithuania – Capital basketball school’s coach Arminas Vareika and Aiste Furajevaite.
Program, started in 2015, finished its second season and can say proudly that it accomplished a lot. In 2015 “basketball Power” started with 6 coaches providing 104 lessons in 12 day centers. In October 8 more centers were added, 20 towns with 556 lessons total his season. Each week 11 coaches work those centers increasing participating children’s number from 200 to over 300.
This season “Basketball Power” participants worked together with Vilnius basketball club “Lietuvos rytas” and participated in a project “One team.” It also committed to nationwide social campaign “For a safe Lithuania” initiated by the President Dalia Grybauskaite.
“Basketball Power” coaches and children they work with went on fun field trips, celebrated Christmas and National Lithuanian holidays together, visited offices of Lithuanian Basketball Federation, cheered during the Lithuanian basketball league games, participated at numerous tournaments and volunteered in their neighborhoods.
Same evening Kazickas family members invited program's coaches to the Kazickas family residence for dinner. Jofn Kazickas thatnked them all for their hard work and dedication: "I hope you understand how much we appreciate all that yo do. It truly is a blessing to have such wonderful people involved for such a noble cause. I know we are making a difference for these kids."
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