“Can you dunk?”, asks a twelve-year old boy at the Heritage kids basketball camp. This seems to be the inevitable question I get everytime as I work the basketball camps, and some kid there always wants to know. Moments like that are times I will never forget: kids trying to take the ball away from me, lifting them up to make a basket, trying to guard me in a one-on- one, or cheering for them as they make a shot. While enjoying those moments, I always get the special opportunity to teach those children as well. In the beginning of the camp, as a group, we start out with getting warmed up as we do high knees, some jogs, walking soldiers and lunges. Next, we move on to how to dribble a basketball and teach them to use their fingertips to then play dribble tag and relay races. We have to make sure that they don’t slap the ball like most little kids want to do. Then we teach them how to shoot the ball; we make sure their elbow is in line, feet are set, a gap between their palm and the ball, and to jump as high as they can when shooting. Finally, in order for them to go home in a better mood, we play a fun game of Knockout, give them Heritage Basketball shirts and prizes. I enjoy doing little things like this because I want to give back to the kids. My own father said that “Even in grade school, when I finished work early, I would volunteer to help other students” (Scott Wassman). Some of those kids may look up to me as I looked up to the old Heritage players; they may be inspired by me. That is such a surreal feeling when you’ve got a purpose beyond yourself and you can serve something beyond yourself (Robbins). Knowing that I can inspire kids, it makes me want to give back to my own community and the small town of Garfield. I grew up in a small town with a population of 600, and there really isn’t much around. All there seems to be is a local gas station, a community park, Beaver Lake, and an elementary school that was sadly shut down recently. With the thought of trying to inspire children always in the back of my head, I began to realize, why not bring those basketball camps and new opportunities to the Garfield community? I would’ve loved it if someone had come up with this idea a long time ago as I live 25 minutes away from Heritage, and it has always seemed like a long drive. Furthermore, by having basketball camps in Garfield, it can allow for children who live close and can’t drive to get the same level of opportunity as a kid their age who lives close to Heritage. So many kids around the area of Garfield don’t have the best home lives as many struggle with health and family problems. With them getting the opportunity to play basketball, and potentially other sports in the future, they can use it as a stress reliever so that hopefully, the sport brightens their day. Eventually, maybe a kid from Garfield can inspire other children some day.