September 16, 2023 – Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) – Winnipeg Sea Bears News Release
WINNIPEG – The Winnipeg Sea Bears are proud to support Buckets & Borders and Canada Basketball as the group unveils a court restoration at St. John’s Park.
In September 2023, Buckets & Borders, Canada Basketball and local community leaders restored the St. John’s Park basketball court with new backboards, rims and an on-court mural designed by local Indigenous artist, Jordan Stranger.
WHEN: Today, September 16th at 11:00 a.m.
WHO: Buckets & Borders, Canada Basketball, Winnipeg Sea Bears
WHERE: St. John’s Park, Winnipeg, MB
WHAT: Opening remarks and a drum circle will begin a community celebration with youth programming and an all-star game to follow
The community celebration and court unveiling is taking place on Saturday, September 16th at St. John’s park. The day will be fuelled with various activities such as youth on-court programming, music, food, games and competitions to celebrate unifying the St. Johns Park community through basketball. Buckets & Borders is a UNIFIED Partner of Canada Basketball. The partnership is built on the foundation of unifying people through basketball and growing the game from coast-to-coast. As part of a collaborative initiative to restore outdoor basketball courts across the country, Winnipeg was chosen as the first location.
“Canada Basketball is excited to see the first community court restoration project come to life at St John’s Park through our UNIFIED Partnership with Buckets and Borders,” said President and CEO of Canada Basketball, Michael Bartlett. “The love for basketball and community runs deep in Winnipeg, and we are thankful for the opportunity to work closely with many incredible community leaders and partners and to Jordan Stranger for the ‘Fly Like An Eagle’ mural design that brings the project to life. We look forward to continuing to provide opportunities for safe and accessible basketball spaces in years to come through this partnership.”
This project was led by Jordan Stranger, local leaders and various members of the basketball community who call Winnipeg home. The Winnipeg Sea Bears and Manitoba Basketball have joined in as community partners of the project and will assist in contributing to the long term success and sustainability of both on-court activations and court cleaning in the future years.
“Our mandate at Buckets & Borders is to improve communities and bring people together through basketball. Working alongside Jordan Stranger and many local leaders in the Winnipeg Basketball community has been an incredible experience. This court is going to be special and we’re proud to complete our first Winnipeg project alongside the North End community” – Justin Lee, CEO & Co-Founder, Buckets & Borders.
“We are excited to partner with Buckets and Borders and Canada Basketball on this fantastic initiative that will further grow the sport of basketball in our community. This court aligns perfectly with our vision of bringing people together through basketball and giving them a place to grow and belong.” – Jason Smith, Winnipeg Sea Bears
The Sea Bears have committed to help maintain the court with yearly clean-ups and net replacement as well as youth camps and clinics at the location.
The community celebration will begin at 11AM at St. John’s Park with opening remarks and a drum circle on Saturday, September 16th.
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