STANDISH, ME – Former Saint Joseph’s College basketball standouts Meghan Daigle ’11 and Chris Petzy ’12 have been invited by the Drive School of Basketball as volunteers to help the organization continue working towards social and community development in the country of Kazakhstan.
Daigle and Petzy – who recently completed his first season playing with Oxford Brookes University and was named as the England Basketball League Division 4 Midlands-Southwest Player of the Year - will serve as volunteer coaches for Drive and will also have the opportunity to play basketball in Kazakhstan, a country located in Central Asia, this summer.
Pulled directly from the organization’s brochure: Drive is a complete basketball training experience imparting the values of discipline, integrity, education, and love into young players and youth coaches. This vision requires a strategy of coaching youth, training youth coaches, building and renovating basketball courts and playgrounds, and resourcing families for raising healthy and virtuous kids.
While working for the Drive School of Basketball, Daigle and Petzy will employ their passion for hoops and community for two months this summer in Almaty, the capital city of Kazakhstan, which is the largest land-locked country in the world. The pair will arrive there in early June and be tasked with coaching kids, training future youth coaches, building and renovating basketball courts in underprivileged communities, and educating youth and families through sports. Drive School of Basketball aims to transform Kazakh youth into leaders through discipline, love, education and integrity.
In addition to coaching, Daigle and Petzy will also have opportunities on the court to use their gifts as basketball players to build relationships with local college and pro players and help Drive continue to develop in the area.
The hope and focus of the cause is to use basketball as an instrument to positively connect with the youth of Kazakhstan in order to help build hard working and honest future leaders of the country. In a place where corruption remains rampant and pervasive, teen suicide is among the highest in the entire world, and teen drug and alcohol abuse are the norm, opportunities to develop character through basketball literally saves young lives.
“We truly believe in the work that Drive is doing to invest in young people and we are excited to explore how the opportunity to live in a completely different culture can help us to grow as well,” adds Daigle. “In this significant stage of our young lives, this opportunity brings together so much that we are both passionate about – basketball, international service, community development, faith, and investing in the lives of young people.”
Daigle and Petzy are hoping to raise funds in order to cover their travel expenses, which total $3,500 apiece. Those willing to help are encouraged to do so at their fundraising page http://www.gofundme.com/8aq1gw
Please contact Meg (meghan.e.daigle@gmail.com) or Chris (chris.petzy@gmail.com) for further details if interested.
Follow Chris and Meg on their blog: http://blogs.sjcme.edu/basketballabroad/category/kazakhstan/
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Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 430-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.