Carlos and Kevin Garcia are life-long Miami Lakes residents who have a passion for basketball and helping others. The Give a Ball, Spread the Love campaign started in 2013 to give back to the community by collecting basketballs for the kids at the Overtown Youth Center. The Garcia brothers, who both play for basketball teams, felt that spreading their love of basketball and keeping kids busy and active was all-around positive for the children.
This year, they reached out to classmates, family, friends and local businesses and coordinated drop boxes at their school and the Town of Miami Lakes. Together with the support of the community, they were successful in collecting over 100 new basketballs in 2018.
“The outpouring of support towards this cause is greatly appreciated,” said Gloria Garcia, the boys’ mother. “We are very humbled by all who helped make this small effort to give back a success.”
On April 28, along with some classmates, the boys delivered and donated the basketballs at the Overtown Youth Center and had an opportunity to play a game with some of the children in the program. This was by far the most rewarding part of the campaign, it was a wonderful experience to see the kids interact and come together over basketball as if they had known each other for many years. It truly is more than just about giving a basketball. The boys plan on continuing to grow the program yearly and continue to spread their love for the sport and the community.