Hawks Give $50K to Spruce up Central Park Courts

The Atlanta Hawks Foundation is giving $50,000 to renovate all four basketball courts at Central Park in the Old Fourth Ward.

The basketball courts at Central Park in Old Fourth Ward are about to get a little nicer. The Atlanta Hawks Foundation announced on Wednesday that it is giving $50,000 to paint all four courts, put in new rims and backboards and put the Hawks logo on the courts. The donation is in conjunction with Atlanta City Councilman Kwanza Hall’s “Year of Boulevard” (Yo Boulevard!) initiative. At a press conference at the park, framed by the Atlanta skyline, neighbors and students from Intown Academy came out for the announcement. Bob Williams, president of the Atlanta Hawks and Philips Arena, told the crowd, “We’re pleased to contribute $50,000 to renovate these basketball courts and enrich the lives of residents of the Old Fourth Ward.” This is the …

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Boulevard of Hopes on the Hardcourt

Atlanta Hawks come to Old Fourth Ward for youth initiative.

The Atlanta Hawks came to the Old Fourth Ward Wednesday as part of the sixth-annual Kia Summer Hoops Tour, for a basketball camp with area youth. The basketball camp at Central Park, sponsored by Kia Motors Corp., aims to get kids to focus on building those same skills on the court — teamwork, responsibility and education — that are found in life. It was also part of Atlanta City Councilman Kwanza Hall’s Year of Boulevard initiative, which is focused on the teens and pre-teens who live in the Boulevard corridor. Hall's program is aimed at taking a multi-pronged approach to the social and economic ills that affect the stretch of Boulevard that runs from Freedom Parkway to Ponce de Leon Ave. The Hawks shared a little of what happened at the …

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Atlanta Hawks, Kia Motors Host Free Basketball Clinic in Old Fourth Ward Today

Effort is part of Kwanza Hall's Year of Boulevard initiative.

by Patch Staff The Atlanta Hawks and Kia Motors America are hosting the sixth annual Kia Summer Hoops Tour, which will be making a stop at Central Park in the Old Fourth Ward today. The basketball camp comes to Old Fourth Ward as part of Atlanta City Councilman Kwanza Hall’s Year of Boulevard initiative, which is designed to focus on youth who live in the Boulevard corridor as well as tackling problems affecting that main thoroughfare. One of 20 free, high-energy clinics the Atlanta Hawks will offer this month across metro Atlanta area, they focus on education, and dedication, teamwork and responsibility as part of helping players improve their basketball skills. Admission to all clinics is free and open to the public and the Central Park …

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Planting Roots And Giving Back

Kirkwood gets 47 trees through Atlanta Hawks community program

The Atlanta Hawks, Philips Arena and Home Depot joined Trees Atlanta Nov. 17 to plant 47 trees in Kirkwood as part of the Hawks’ “Threes for Trees” program and the Hawks 2011 Season of Giving. Through the Atlanta Hawks’ “Threes for Trees” program, presented by Home Depot, every three-pointer made by the Hawks during the 2010-11 season resulted in a donation to Trees Atlanta. Trees Atlanta is a nationally recognized citizens group that protects and improves Atlanta's urban forest by planting, conserving and educating. Atlanta has lost 65 percent of its tree canopy since the mid-1970s. Since 1985, Trees Atlanta has planted and distributed more than 80,000 trees. The location for the planting was at the corner of Hardee Street and Mayson …

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