Building leaders, Building adults, Building communities

Equise Smith
Responsible Business
2 min readApr 7, 2017

In Philadelphia 36% of children live in poverty, 56% of children are not proficient in reading and math, and living in one of the most dangerous cities, these kids need a chance and resources to reach their full potential. Philadelphia Youth Basketball is a non-profit organization focused on creating opportunities for kids to grow into successful students, athletes & leaders. PYB incorporates athletic, academic, health, leadership, and character development activities into their program, and they begun a fundraising effort to build a $25 million basketball-based youth development center in the heart of North Philadelphia to expand their organization further. PYB believes in creating opportunities for all children to reach their potential, and based on research, sports encourage development physically, socially and academically. In a time of social distress throughout our country, it is important to promote positive efforts. Children are the future of this world, and often times we fail to give them the start they need and deserve. Programs like PYB look to make up for what many communities lack, and give children an opportunity to grow in a time where political and social stresses can negatively affect children as much as adults. Having a safe environment to relieve stress, get involved, and be active is a great escape for the youth of Philadelphia and children everywhere. Basketball is one of many ways to achieve these goals, and Philadelphia Youth Basketball is exemplifying this everyday through their organization. With great non-profits like PYB, the future is looking a little bit brighter.

Currently enrolled at Temple University I am a part of a group of students who made it our mission to help raise money for Philadelphia Youth Basketball. We are hosting a 3-on 3 basketball tournament and doing a raffle to help raise money. If you want to help the youth grow, build, and succeed, you can donate at this link. http://www.the101010foundation.org/pyb

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