Photo By John Tongret | Shelly McElveen (center) explains basketball fundamentals to members of her team.... read more read more
FORT STEWART, Ga. - For Shelly McElveen, basketball is as natural as breathing and any other action we all take for granted. She played basketball in high school and also at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. During her time in the Army she even played on the Women’s All-Army Basketball Team and was selected to be a member of the Armed Forces Team the is composed of members from all the Armed Services. Suffice it to say, she was pretty good. But as many things do, basketball took a back seat to career and family responsibilities.
McElveen now works for Winn Army Community Hospital as an audiovisual specialist, supporting all the events and communication requirements that keep the hospital providing excellent care for the patients.
She spent a few years volunteering in support of the Special Olympics but never lost the fulfillment that comes with volunteering to help others that benefit from your time and experience.
This year McElveen saw a need for economically disadvantaged girls in her community. She decided to act on this need and founded a team under the umbrella of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAV). The team, named Georgia Lady Dream is influenced by the Women’s National Basketball Association team, the Atlanta Dream.
The girls on the team range from ages 12-18 years old and come from four counties near the Fort Stewart area. The team plays in the Summer and Spring to eliminate conflicts with high school basketball participation.
“I enjoy coaching the team and teaching them everything from the basics and watching them learn more advanced basketball skills,” said McElveen.
The team participates in tournaments and raises funds to minimize out-of-pocket expenses from the parents of the girls. She conducts fund raisers and has also established a GoFundMe page to defray expenses. The team is working toward their goal of raising $10,000 for uniforms and travel expenses.
When asked what she gets out of coaching the team, she said, “I am rewarded by seeing the enthusiasm and participation of the girls.”
| Date Taken: | 08.13.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 08.13.2015 09:30 |
| Story ID: | 173035 |
| Location: | FORT STEWART, GA, US |
| Web Views: | 130 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, McElveen works with teen girls as volunteer coach, by John Tongret, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT