BECU, Storm Support Local Youth Through Hoops Series
BECU's support for the Seattle Storm's Together We Rise Community Hoops series combines sports with financial health to benefit local youth.
Sneakers squeak, basketballs thud and excitement echoes off the hardwood floors at Smilow Rainier Vista Boys & Girls Club in Seattle's Columbia City neighborhood, where the WNBA's Seattle Storm are hosting the Together We Rise Community Hoops series.
The program, which provides free basketball skills clinics for up to 600 kids annually, is presented in partnership with BECU and is rooted in a commitment to community.
"It is a core part of our larger Jr. Storm Community Hoops program, which has a mission of breaking down barriers to help ensure all kids have the opportunity to play basketball," said Hanifah Bellaluz, senior director of community and social impact for the Storm.
BECU's support for this year's clinic series may be new, but the two sides share a history of bringing financial education to communities and inspiring youth through sports. Together We Rise finds a unique way to combine those organizational pillars through drills that organically link personal finance themes of earning, saving and spending to the basketball actions of dribbling, passing and shooting, all while helping create more pathways for young people to thrive.
"These are two organizations whose folks every single day come in thinking about how we can achieve our purpose," said BECU CEO and President Beverly Anderson. "For [BECU], it's about helping people improve their financial well-being. For the Storm, their purpose is really about leveraging sports to uplift community."
Bellaluz said programs like Together We Rise play a big role in increasing access for historically marginalized youth.
"Our goal is to level the playing field for girls, women, BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities both on and off the court," Bellaluz said. "All kids deserve to experience the joys and benefits of team sports, but not all kids have equal opportunities to do so."
On this early June afternoon, Boys & Girls Club youth, ages 6 and up, spend 60 minutes learning from high-level coaches. While some kids joke they are there to "cook the younger kids" with their moves on the court, Storm coaches emphasize values like teamwork, work ethic, safety, socialization, leadership, listening and the importance of regular physical activity — all while finding fun and approachable ways to blend in the earn, save and spend connection to financial health.
"You'll weave through the cones and earn your way to go spend your money at the basket with a layup," one Jr. Storm coach relayed to their group of kids at a recent clinic. "Sometimes the first shot isn't the best shot, and we want to save that, right? We want to pass it to our teammate so they can get us a better shot."
Benefiting Boys & Girls Club of King County and Rise Above, a total of 10 Together We Rise clinics and two camps take place throughout the year around the Puget Sound.
"This work means a lot to the Seattle Storm and our Jr. Storm coaching staff," said Ashley Corral, director of youth basketball for the Storm. "No matter what their situation is, we want to provide an opportunity for kids to be a part of our Jr. Storm family and play the game we all love."
Corral recalled a particularly impactful moment came when the Together We Rise clinic helped provide a safe space for one of its nonbinary athletes.
"They were nervous to play team sports because they weren't sure they would fit in or be accepted," Corral said. "Our coaches and our program standards helped them understand that it is OK to be who you are. Basketball is a safe space for everyone.
"Their parents told us that they gained the confidence to try other team sports and be a leader on and off the court."
For nearly a decade, BECU has partnered with the Storm to make a collective impact on the communities both organizations serve. In May, the two sides announced an extension of their longstanding relationship, which included naming the WNBA team's training facility the BECU Storm Center for Basketball Performance.
Support from organizations like BECU plays a significant role in bringing youth clinics like Together We Rise to life, Bellaluz said.
"We could not do what we do without the support from our amazing partners," she said. "Working alongside BECU and others to collaboratively invest in our community is special because it's driven by shared values, and it adds dimension to what we do."
Not only does each Together We Rise participant go home with some traditional hoops swag, including a basketball and drawstring backpack, but they also leave with a short game plan of "Money Moves" from BECU. The plan includes simple ways kids and parents can team up to build strong financial habits at an early age.
"We have a shared commitment with our partners — the goal isn't just giving kids one fun day," Bellaluz said. "It's giving them tools they need to create a great life."
The above article is intended to provide generalized financial information designed to educate a broad segment of the public; it does not give personalized financial, tax, investment, legal, or other business and professional advice. Before taking any action, you should always seek the assistance of a professional who knows your particular situation when making financial, legal, tax, investment, or any other business and professional decisions that affect you and/or your business.
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