Basketball courts are important cultural centers for many urban neighborhoods across the country, giving people a place to connect with their community, hone their basketball skills, and take their game to the next level.
That’s why the Coors Light Full Court Refresh program is donating $75,000 to refurbish courts in three major cities. Because it’s more than just restoring basketball courts, it’s about refreshing the community.
And the Full Court Refresh has a winning team: former NBA star, Kenny “The Jet” Smith, the National Urban League Young Professionals (NULYP), and the legal drinking age fans who tweeted using the hashtags #FullCourtRefresh and #Over21. Together, Kenny’s love for the game, the NULYP’s dedication.
The donation events in Charlotte, Philadelphia and New York City were attended by local community leaders, elected officials and dignitaries. We teamed with Kenny Smith to present $25,000 checks to each of the three NULYP chapters.
Giving back to the Leon H. Sullivan Center
In Charlotte, I had the opportunity to speak alongside Kenny Smith and the President of the Urban League of Central Carolinas, Dr. Patrick Graham.
The Philadelphia 76ers partnered with us for our donation to the Leon H. Sullivan Center. Notable names like actor/comedian Kevin Hart and University of South Carolina women's basketball coach, Dawn Staley, have played at the Sullivan Center.
We ended our donation tour in Kenny Smith’s hometown – Queens, New York – where we were joined by the Senator of New York’s 16th District, Toby Ann Stavisky. The local market team was very supportive of the program, incorporating basketball displays to highlight the program at retail locations. It was a great experience for Kenny to be back in the building where he developed his game, and for me, it was humbling to hear first-hand from the local community about how much of a positive impact this program is making.
For a company that is as invested in the community as it is in brewing great beer, donating $75,000 to refurbish basketball courts was the natural thing to do. We are looking forward to an even bigger Coors Light Full Court Refresh next year, and I’m certain with the support of our friends and communities partners, we can continue to refresh the game.