October 25, 2017 - Session four of the Fort Wayne UNITED Late Night Basketball League is underway.
The program runs from 8-11 p.m. each Saturday evening through November 25. This Saturday evening, there will be a dunk contest, 3-point shooting contest and league games.
The Fort Wayne UNITED Late Night Basketball League is held at the Renaissance Pointe YMCA, 2323 Bowser Ave. Sponsors are the YMCA of Greater Fort Wayne, City of Fort Wayne, Fort Wayne Police Department, Boys & Girls Clubs of Fort Wayne, Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Domino’s and Ivy Tech Community College-Northeast.
The league focuses on providing teens and young adults with a positive, structured and safe environment while exposing them to much more than basketball.
Fort Wayne UNITED is a mayoral initiative started by Mayor Tom Henry in 2016. It places two national efforts, Cities United and My Brother’s Keeper, into one program to make a meaningful difference with an emphasis on listening, input, letting voices be heard, and engagement.
The vision is for every black male in Fort Wayne to be respected and valued with an opportunity to reach their full potential. The mission is to advocate for and implement policies, practices and procedures to ensure equity and opportunity for black fathers, brothers, and sons at home, work, school, and community through collaborative efforts.
Goals to lead to positive outcomes include engagement of black men and boys, the community, policymakers, philanthropic community, and data gathering.
Criminal justice, non-profit, clergy, health, and education leaders, along with representatives from the Fort Wayne Police Department are part of the Fort Wayne UNITED Steering Committee that’s working to make Fort Wayne the best community possible and move Fort Wayne UNITED forward.