Basketball League Gives Teens and Young Adults Outlet for Competition and a Safe Haven
Janelle Mason, Sports Manager for The Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center, is an experienced business professional and former collegiate athlete with years of experience in program development and program management. She has an Masters in Management from Purdue University.
Youth between 10 and 25 years old represent a disproportionate amount of homicide victims in Chicago. Low rates of high school graduation, high rates of joblessness and cyclical generational poverty put many young men ages 17 to 26 at risk for altercations and activities that contribute to gun violence. However, on many Saturday nights The Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center’s Late Nite Flight basketball league offers relief and a safe space for its 120 participants.
Teams are chosen through an NBA-style draft and compete in a rigorous 12-week league that helps increase participants’ sense of self-esteem and accomplishment.
Modeled after midnight basketball leagues popular in the 1980s, which aimed to provide an alternative for men at risk of becoming involved in, or victims of violence, Late Nite Flight goes a step further by providing wrap-around services and continuing support. Services include college preparation and job readiness workshops, and weekly classes on anger management, coping strategies, maintaining healthy habits and relationships, and more.
The league has many success stories. College and semi-pro basketball scouts periodically attend games. Christopher D., a former league player, was recognized during a prior season and drafted by a Chicago area semi-pro team. He is currently playing professional basketball in Beijing, China. Many players have obtained employment after having participated in job skills workshops - some even work at the Kroc Center.
It is our hope that by assisting these young men we can help provide them the tools to begin to break the cycle of violence in our community. The Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center in Chicago hosts two Late Nite Fight Leagues per year. For more information, call 773.995.3250 or visit the Kroc Center Chicago website.