Bridgeport students to attend NBA All-Star Weekend
BRIDGEPORT — Student basketball players will get a taste of the big leagues on a college preparatory trip later this month.
Around 30 Bridgeport students, mostly varsity players from Bassick and Central high schools, and coaches and supervisors will depart on Wednesday for the NBA All-Star Weekend in Cleveland, Ohio.
“This is a once in a lifetime thing for these young people,” said Teresa Wilson, the founder and executive director of the Village Initiative Project and its college preparatory program.
The students will participate in various NBA activities, including a Howard Bison and Morgan State Bears game — a longstanding rivalry between two historically Black universities. The trip was organized in partnership with the HBCU Alumni Network in New Haven.
“They will see a lot of men that look like them, especially with the Howard vs. Morgan State game,” Wilson said. “As we know the NBA is predominantly African American individuals, and they’ll see that.”
“I want them to see successful people who can possibly be role models, (and) come back excited and motivated and determined to pursue an education or whatever they may want to do — start a business, become entrepreneurs, and know that it doesn’t take a whole lot to travel,” she said.
Participants will also socialize with a group of Cleveland high school students and attend a financial literacy workshop hosted by the National Congress of Black Women. But above all else, Wilson wants her students to enjoy the trip.
“Everyone needs a break from this violence that’s happening in Bridgeport. I want to hear these boys laugh, and see them have fun and just be blown away by something that they’ve never seen before,” she said.
The bus will depart on Wednesday night and return on the following Monday afternoon.
The trip was paid for in part through a grant from the city of Bridgeport, which allocated federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars to the Village Initiative Plan. The program was one of several non-profits to receive a share of $18 million in federal aid to support youth who missed key social and classroom time during the pandemic.
“One thing I’ve always said is just give us the funding,” said Wilson. “We know what to do with it, we know the needs of our community — but it really takes funding.”
The Village Initiative Project has also requested donations to assist participants with food and other remaining expenses.
“We’re servicing very low to moderate income households, and a lot of them are single moms, single parents,” Wilson said. “I’m just very grateful that the V.I.P College Prep Program could offer this opportunity to Bridgeport residents and especially its youth.”
To donate, readers can visit VipCollegePrep.org to give via PayPal or Cash App. Checks and money orders can be sent to the V.I.P. office at 1000 Lafayette Boulevard, Suite 410 Bridgeport, Conn. 06604.