See Beautiful Grant Applicant: Art in the Paint

The feature below is brought to you by Art in the Paint, an organization that is in the running to receive a See Beautiful Grant. For more information about our giving initiatives, please click here.
 
To learn more about the featured organization, please visit their website here.

Art in the Paint was originally developed with an integral purpose of providing art and opportunities to underserved communities. The creation of the Community Champions League allows us to directly address this mission and provide options and opportunities to the neighborhood youth, making them feel connected to the community as a whole. 
 
I was walking on the beltline and I was parched. I saw free water for walkers and bike riders outside of wild beer heaven. I walked over to get water and saw a group of black kids on their bikes who were obviously thirsty. When I got my water I asked the kids why they didn’t get water. One looked up from his sip and said, “I didn’t know it was for us too.” This broke my heart and I knew then I’d have to do something to make the communities’ existing members feel as a part of the community as their new neighbors. That experience and conversations with law enforcement on the rise in crime amongst kids in their early teens is how the Community Champions League was developed. 
 
The Community Champions League consists of 10 teams of scholars from the neighboring areas of Atlanta. Scholars have practice and games each week, where we not only focus on fundamental skills of the game, but also focus on building character, establishing ways to solve conflicts and work through hurdles in day to day society. We have partnered with neighborhood organizations to allow them to host events at the court on the days of practice and games to allow scholars more access and exposure to what their community has to offer to them.

Throughout the league we not only provide scholars with opportunities to play and learn basketball, we provide coaches with skills in mentoring youth and exposing them to problem solving skills, opportunities off the court, and exposure to professions that they may not be aware of. Our league is focused on connecting the community and bringing resources to the scholars at the court. With partnerships with other organizations like WeRestoreMore and FeedingGAFamilies we are focused on building the full character of all of our scholars and reminding them how important they are in the whole of the community and what the community can bring.
 
Art in the Paint sees beautiful, not only with the installation of court murals all around the city, the country and the world, but also with the development of youth of the communities into amazing people that can add to and help our society as a whole rebuild, flourish and be more just, unified and equal than ever before.