The Village for Families & Children and the Connecticut Sun teamed up on Monday, April 18 to provide a one-day basketball clinic for Hartford children ages 5-14 who have been affected by significant trauma, including abuse and violence, that has been compounded by the pandemic.
Utilizing aspects of a sports-based therapy program already in place at The Village thanks to a partnership with Doc Wayne Youth Services, ESPN, and Arbella Insurance Foundation, the basketball clinic helped over a dozen children in The Village’s Extended Day Treatment (EDT) program as they develop healthy coping skills, learn trust and teamwork and feel more confident to engage in sport and fitness.
“Participating in these types of activities is healing for children in our program, and the sports-infused lessons help them gain skills to become team players and leaders in their school and community,” said Village President and CEO Galo Rodriguez. “We are excited to partner with the Connecticut Sun and connect children in our program to such talented role models.”
Connecticut Sun players and Morgan Tuck, former Connecticut Sun forward and four-time UConn women’s basketball NCAA champion, now Director of Franchise Development for The Sun, led the clinic, giving children at The Village a once-in-a-lifetime experience to go head-to-head with WNBA stars while honing teamwork, cooperation and communication skills. After the clinic, The Sun gave children autographed basketballs to take home.
The Connecticut Sun have held eight basketball clinics this year helping hundreds of children throughout the state of Connecticut.
