ST. LOUIS — After a violent summer that took many of our children, community leaders and organizations have been trying to come up with ways to put an end to all this violence.
Because of this violence, it was important for a local non-profit to host a three-on-three basketball tournament that would make children feel safe.
Urban Strategies Inc. provides social services for the Preservation Square and North Side community. They received a grant that would focus on a crime-based reduction initiative, which funded their efforts Saturday.
Many kids were shooting some hoops, laughing, and smiling. That is what Urban Strategies wanted to see. Children just focusing on having some fun.
The kids were focusing on making their shots, not all the gunshots fired during a violent summer. For the second year in a row, the non-profit organization wanted to continue this tournament, after multiple children were shot and killed this summer.
Myisa Whitlock, the senior project manager of Urban Strategies, said this was a way for little ones and teens to feel like they matter.
"They are important and they are apart of the community. We definitely want to shine the light on children and let them know that we do see them," Whitlock said. "Because of the high crime in the area in St. Louis, particularly among children, we decided to do community engagement. The community can come together, fellowship, and engage."
Hundreds of kids ranging from all ages came out to be together, their community becoming a team.
"It's an outlet to have fun to take their mind off of the stress of the day or in the community," Whitlock said. "It's just a form of building community and trust within the community."
This tournament would be a way for their team to bounce back and focus on what matters most: the children. "We want to protect them and involve them in the community and know that they are safe and fun opportunities and we want to embrace that," Whitlock said.
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