KIDS VENICE BASKETBALL LEAGUE

This summer, I helped out a couple of times at the Kids Venice Basketball League (www.kvbl.org). My friend Nico, one of the founders, asked if I could be a part of the Natural Leader’s Empowerment Camp, a free day camp for under-privileged kids. I am an advocate for all children’s causes and so of course I said yes.

I went down to Venice beach for the first and last event of the nine-week camp to help teach the kid’s about healthy eating, yoga, leadership, teamwork as well as basketball skills.

We ate raw, vegan food for breakfast and lunch while discussing the importance of eating healthy (and believe or not, it was quite delicious). We stretched our bodies with yoga, sang about “One Love, One World” on the beach, swam in the ocean and of course learned and practiced basketballs skills (my hoops skills are less than fantastic, but I had fun).

After the camp the kid’s got to watch and be a part of the Venice Basketball League tournaments, which are intense street-ball competitions. The world’s best street-ballers battle it out every Sunday at the beach leading up to the championship and the grand prize. Summer Sunday’s in Venice are awesome! These guys truly kick ass in some intense basketball games. Watching from the side lines, you get to be right up in the action.

You could tell from the smiles on the kid’s faces that this was not only a learning experience, but also it was a super fun, once in a lifetime experience and I was happy that I was able to be a part of it. Kid’s Venice Basketball League is FABULOUS!