Flight Nine Youth Basketball and the SMU Men’s Basketball Team gave out Turkeys for Thanksgiving
The Flight Nine youth basketball program and SMU men’s basketball is donated approximately 150 Thanksgiving turkeys to families in need in the Highland Hills community of South Dallas. The turkeys were distributed at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016, at Paul Quinn College, located at 3837 Simpson Stuart Road, Dallas, Texas.
Former NBA Basketball player, Director of Player Development for SMU Men’s Basketball and Founder and Director of Flight Nine Basketball Academy, George Lynch, handed out the turkeys with the help of the SMU men’s basketball and Flight Nine youth basketball players.
“One in four children in the Dallas‐Fort Worth Metroplex area will go hungry this Thanksgiving holiday,” Lynch said. “Flight Nine youth basketball and SMU men’s basketball are going to donate about 100‐150 turkeys to bless the families of the Highland Hills Community to help put food on their table. From Flight Nine and SMU men’s basketball team, we’d just like to wish the Highland Hills community a Happy Thanksgiving.”
“It feels good to give back to a community – especially to those whom often feel forgotten,” Ben Emelogu II, guard for SMU men’s basketball, said.
“To be able to give back and put a smile on the faces of families in need during the Thanksgiving holiday is what I enjoy most,” Lavelt Page, SMU men’s basketball student manager, said.
Lynch uses his Flight Nine Academy to educate at‐risk youth in underserved communities in areas of health and wellness, financial literacy, life skills, leadership and character development through the game of basketball.
About Flight Nine
Since its establishment in 2006, Flight Nine’s mission has been to provide an opportunity for youth of all socioeconomic backgrounds an opportunity to learn and develop the proper skills and fundamentals of the sport of basketball and life skills. Our goal is to provide mentorship both on and off the basketball court, and to encourage the importance of lifelong learning and to provide a path toward college scholarship. We assemble the best coaches in the Dallas‐Fort Worth Metroplex to help teach character and leadership, while building team‐building skills and life skills through sport and community engagement. Flight Nine is a registered 501C3 nonprofit organization. See additional photos at www.dallasposttrib.com.
