Freddie Mac, DeKalb County and Usher Raise Awareness of Homelessness at HoopsAtlanta Tournament
DeKalb County and Freddie Mac are fighting Atlanta-area homelessness through a three-on-three basketball tournament on Saturday, September 3rd. Registration is now open - all skill levels are welcome.
ATLANTA (PRWEB) August 12, 2005
– DeKalb County and Freddie Mac have teamed up to host the HoopsAtlanta Three-on-Three Basketball Tournament to help raise awareness and funds for agencies that serve Atlanta’s homeless population.
Pop star Usher will join the partnership and serve as the celebrity host of the event, which is the first of its kind in the Atlanta area. The tournament will be held on Saturday, September 3rd, 8 a. m. – 5 p. m. on the New Birth Church campus in Lithonia. The charitable event will directly benefit 10 agencies that serve the homeless with outreach, housing, employment, and food programs in the Atlanta area.
DeKalb County, an active member of the Regional Commission on Homelessness, recognized the need to address this epidemic in the Atlanta area. A February 2005 census found nearly 7,000 homeless people in the City of Atlanta and DeKalb and Fulton counties. Of these, more than 2,000 were living on the streets, while the rest were in emergency shelters or transitional housing. Children make up more than 10% of the homeless in the area. Census organizers estimate that more than 20,000 individuals in the area will experience homelessness during 2005.
“The HoopsAtlanta initiative is one with an urgent message - homelessness is an epidemic we face as a country and its important to always look in our back yards to figure out how to help solve the problem. Our goal with this event is to bring awareness to the community about the hundreds of families who are without housing and stability,” said Vaughn Irons, National Director of Housing and Community Investment for Freddie Mac. The agencies benefiting from the HoopsAtlanta event are: 24/7 Gateway Center; Atlanta Community Food Bank; Crossroads Community Ministries; Decatur Cooperative Ministry; Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless; Jerusalem House; Latin American Association; Our House, Inc.; Nicholas House, Inc.; and Trinity Community Ministries.
The tournament format will be 48 teams competing in single elimination play. Winning teams will advance to a single elimination play-off to determine the tournament champion. Teams must have a minimum of three players and no more than five. Teams who advance to the Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four, and Championship game will be awarded a celebrity coach. Confirmed celebrity coaches are Usher; Atlanta Falcons’ TJ Duckett, Allen Rossum and DeAngelo Hall; Atlanta Hawks’ Josh Smith; and former Hawks – Charlie Criss and Dan Roundfield.
“We’re looking for all skill levels to come out and compete in the tournament. At HoopsAtlanta, it’s anyone’s ball game! It will be a fun and competitive day for participants and spectators. We’re looking to make history with this inaugural HoopsAtlanta event,” said Morris Williams, DeKalb County’s Assistant County Administrator.
In conjunction with the tournament, DeKalb County will host their Family Fun Day. The festival will include kidsÂ’ activities with inflatable games; health screenings provided by CVS; credit checks from Freddie Mac; dental screenings; live entertainment; and local entertainment.
The cost of the registration is $1,000 per team. Teams can register by calling Joy Graham at SWI Consulting at 770.441.5050. Team check-in is at 7 a. m. Sponsorship opportunities are also available. Spectator tickets are: $12 /ages 12 and over; $5 /ages 4 – 11; and free for youth under four with an adult. Tickets can be purchased at Called to Conquest book store in StoneCrest Mall; at the information booth at The Gallery located in South DeKalb Mall; or online at www. hoopsatlanta. org. For more information, please contact Morris Williams at 404.371.2881, or Joy Graham at 770.441.5050.
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