Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee will form a competitive basketball league for students in 3rd through 8th grades, thanks to a $2 million donation from Albert Nicholas, founder and chairman of Milwaukee-based Nicholas Company, Inc.
Nicholas, also a trustee of the nonprofit, has backed club basketball programs for more than 20 years and helped launch the Little Dribblers program, which teaches club members ages 6 to 12 basketball drills and teamwork skills.
Boys & Girls Clubs’ new league, to be called the Emerging Athletes Basketball League, will hold practices and games throughout the academic year with boys playing in fall and late spring and girls competing during winter months. The league will also offer basketball camps and clinics during the seasons as well as before and after.
Nicholas’ funding will be directed toward staffing, equipment, uniforms, transportation and clinics.
“I want to give kids the same opportunities I had with basketball,” Nicholas said in a press release. “I played at the Boys Club when I was young and it made a difference in my life. It is my pleasure to make basketball accessible to all members in Milwaukee, helping them open doors to a bright future.”
Attached to the league is a requirement that all participants also take part in weekly tutoring and customized learning programs facilitated online. Their academic progress will be monitored by club program managers, who will keep community open with parents and education coordinators.
The new league will enable close to 2,000 club members to access the organization’s basketball programming. Games will take place at six club locations: Augusta M. LaVarnway, Daniels-Mardak, Don & Sallie Davis, Mary Ryan, Pieper-Hillside, and Roger and Leona Fitzsimonds.
