Blog 15: Stockton Shootout
On April 26th, the Stockton Shootout took place in the I-wing gym from noon until 4:00. This event was made for children with disabilities to play basketball with honors volunteers, who all decorated a Stockton Shootout 2014 green t-shirt for the event.
During the reflection session that was held afterwards, we were asked about the deeper meaning of the program, as well as any improvements that should be made for next year’s event. For the deeper meaning, I wrote down that taking a few hours out of someone’s day to participate really pays off, and it makes the volunteer feel as if he or she made a big difference in doing so. There were six athletes that came to participate, all ranging from the age of twelve to forty-one. Their names were Jeffrey, Dylan, Natalie, Dan, Chris, and Joe. Starting with stretches, jumping jacks, several dribbling drills and lay-ups, we were all ready to be part of a real basketball game! It was so much fun, and we were helping the community in doing so. What I loved about this event was that it didn’t feel like service.
As for improvements to be made, there was one major problem that everyone agreed on. For the event to be more successful, there should be much more advertising, since it is a great cause and a lot of fun in the meantime. The flyers that went out for the event were also misleading, stating that the volunteers would be playing basketball with honors students rather than honors students playing basketball with the athletes that came.
All in all, the event showed that people with disabilities are fully capable of doing the same things that everyone else does, and that these disabilities shouldn’t be a label to anyone. My mom works with children of special education, and I remember watching them play in gym class separately from most of the other kids. Playing basketball with everyone today really showed that we can make a big difference.