NBA and HP Launch Digital Assist Competition
NBA and HP Launch Digital Assist Competition
HP and the National Basketball Association have kicked off the HP Digital Assist education grant competition…. no, not one that gives me a ‘digital assist’ from Melo, but one for the kids…More than 5,000 students from approximately 100 selected Title 1 middle schools in Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Miami, the San Francisco Bay Area and Washington, D.C., will compete for grants worth more than $80,000 in HP mobile digital classroom technology, NBA tickets and merchandise, visits from NBA stars and other awards.
Tipping off the event at Jefferson Junior High School in Washington, D.C. was All-Star Wizard Antawn Jamison (L) and NBA Legend Bob Lanier (not pictured)…
In Chicago, Janero Pargo of the Chicago Bulls frolicked with that scary mascot, Benny the Bull, and eighth grade students of Orozco Community Academy…
Here’s how it works: The competition invites student teams to create projects that make classroom concepts real and relevant to the outside world by engaging students to combine the power of technology and the excitement of NBA basketball. In addition to enhancing learning, these projects will allow students to demonstrate how they learn best and—through a public competition website at- www.hpdigitalassist.com – enable other students and teachers to benefit as well. HP and NBA Cares are working with the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), which will provide learning kits and judging rubrics for the competition and professional development for winning schools.
Sounds pretty cool to me…as does this little unrelated tidbit…for any of you trying to raise money for charity, there’s an amazing site called First Giving. They help you set-up a fundraiser page and funnel donations directly to your non-profit of choice…I’ve checked out the site, and tons of people are actively doing what we all should be…for example, in October, “Jen” will run her first marathon in memory of a special little boy named Jon-Jon…back in February of 08, I mentioned Jon-Jon…he was diagnosed with brain cancer and lost his battle at the age of 7 on November 16, 2008. Jen met with Jon-Jon’s mom, who asked for donations to go to The Cure Starts Now. This non-profit organization was started by a family who had a child with the same brain tumor, and dedicates their donations to research and treatments for children with brain cancer. You can help by visiting Jen’s ‘First Giving’ page, or by starting your own fundraiser page at First Giving.
As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com
Tracey McGrady: A Jersey for Darfur
Tracey McGrady: A Jersey for Darfur
Oh T-Mac…how I love your ways…Houston Rockets’ Tracey McGrady will switch jersey numbers next season to raise awareness for his Darfur humanitarian project…McGrady will ditch his No. 1 jersey and don a No. 3 jersey to raise attention for the soon to be released “3 Points” documentary that chronicle’s McGrady’s touching journey to Darfur refugee camps in Chad in 2007. The “3 Points” refer to the goals of peace, protection and punishment in Darfur….(more here)
After McGrady returned from his trip, he took action and the Darfur Dream Team was born…it’s a partnership of organizations and professional hoops hotties working together on the Sister Schools Program, an initiative to connect American middle schools, high schools, colleges, and universities with sister schools in the 12 refugee camps in Chad.
Thank you Tracey McGrady…thank you.
As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com
Former NBA Star Manute Bol Building Schools in the Sudan
Former NBA Star Manute Bol Building Schools in the Sudan
“The children are the future of Sudan, regardless of the region they come from,” Manute Bol.
Manute Bol was once the NBA’s tallest player, standing an impressive 7’ 7” tall. The Sudanese born baller spent almost a decade shooting hoops for the Washington Bullets, Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers and the Miami Heat. After he retired in 2004 and the novelty of his height wore off, people seemed to move on…lavishing their adoration on players who land three-pointers, sell overpriced signature shoes made in a Chinese sweatshop or hawk lawnmowers instead of hosting a charity event. Needless to say, I wasn’t in the least bit surprised to find very little information on Manute Bol’s latest humanitarian adventures circulating the Internet.
But I did find my ‘needle in the hay-stack’ via two photos that someone was smart enough to snap…Earlier this week, Manute spoke at a rally for action to end the violence in Sudan at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Who knew? Apparently, only one media outlet (AFP) is running the story…makes you wonder if anyone is paying attention to humanity…
Anyway, Bol has been actively kicking butt in efforts to get funding for a school he’s building in Sudan. Just a few weeks ago, Bol hosted a fundraiser in West Hartford where he spoke about the importance of the school being built because right now, classes are currently being held “under trees” in the western Sudan area of Darfur. “My dream is to build schools across south Sudan because with education you can have a decent life, find a job and improve,” said the Man, “But we must also support the people of Darfur because, just like us, they too have suffered.”
What Bol is referring to is ‘uniting Sudan’…while I’m no expert on the War in Darfur, it seems to me that if anyone can do this, it would be him. (Along with Dikembe and Bono of course)….Bol really is doing everything he can to help reconciliation efforts in south Sudan where the war has claimed thousands of lives, including 250 members of his own family. “What happened to us in the south is now happening to the people of Darfur,” said Bol. (Tensions between the Muslim north and predominantly Christian south of the country add to the conflict).
Some help for the thousands of Darfur refugees who have fled to the south comes from one organization, US-based Sudan Sunrise. “We believe that reconciliation is fundamentally essential for the future of Sudan,” said Tom Prichard, director of Sudan Sunrise. “There is now a chance which wasn’t present in the past. We must seize this opportunity to establish good relationships between the north and the south.” Sudan Sunrise even enlisted volunteers from Darfur to help rebuild schools destroyed in the war. “The response was extraordinary,” said Prichard. According to the UN, only two percent of children in south Sudan finish primary school.
I’m watching you Manute, I’m watching.
As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com