West Virginia Blazers And ESPN Drug Free All Stars Partner
July 23, 2008 - American Basketball Association (ABA) News Release
Bluefield, WV. The ABA WV Blazers (operated by Bluefield Housing Authority) and the ESPN Drug Free All Star Basketball Team (operated by Community Connections) have partnered in an effort to pool resources to better serve young people in many southern WV counties.
"Both organizations are in the business of providing drug, alcohol, and crime prevention programs for area youth," said Greg Puckett, Director of Community Connections and an All Star player. "We felt since we were both working towards a common goal, a partnership would pull together our resources and provide more opportunities for youth and young men and women in Southern West Virginia," added Cindy Preast, Executive Director of the Blue Field Housing Authority.
The WV Blazers team, formed just this month, is West Virginia's first professional basketball team in the ABA. The Blazers will play home games at the Raleigh County Armory in Beckley, WV. Net income derived from the Blazers team (through sponsorships, advertising, ticket sales, and donations) will be used to provide programs for low-income youth in Mercer County and surrounding areas. The All Stars are funded by various grants and generous donations from business in the area, and they provide entertaining educational programs for school-aged children to discourage drug, alcohol, and tobacco use. The All Stars have played against high school students, teachers, and other groups to raise awareness and educate youth about the dangers of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco.
"We are really pleased that the All Stars are willing to work with us to make our program successful. They are established and do many good things in the community. We are honored to partner with them. We hope we can provide as much support for their programs as they will for the Blazers - we look forward to working with them," said Preast.
The All Stars and the Blazers hope to kick off a great season in the fall by playing an exhibition basketball game to introduce the community to the new Blazer players and draw community support for programs operated by both agencies.
For information on sponsoring or advertising contact Greg Puckett by email at drugfree@ccifrn.org or call 304 324 0456 or contact Cindy Preast by email at cindybha@comcast.net or call 304 325 9653 or visit www.abalive.com.
Note: OurSports Central no longer actively covers the American Basketball Association (ABA) as a professional league due in part to its inability to publish and play a schedule and the transitory nature of many of its teams. For information on professional minor leagues, please see OSC's basketball section.
American Basketball Association Stories from July 23, 2008
- Paul Monozca Named to Executive Committee of World Basketball Cup - ABA
- Buffalo Sharks Announce First Tryout Camp - ABA
- Georgia Gwizzlies Native American Player - ABA
- NBA Draft Pick Suports Gallup's ABA Effort - ABA
- West Virginia Blazers And ESPN Drug Free All Stars Partner - ABA
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
