SPRINGFIELD, MA – Last year,the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced its formal strategic alliance with Beta Sigma Boulé, the Springfield member boulé of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity. The focus of Sigma Pi Phi and its 5,000 members is leadership, education and social action by supporting and mentoring young men in the African American community. The Basketball Hall of Fame is supporting this cause by helping to improve the opportunities and futures open to young African American males in the Springfield area.
“Last year, we were able to join the outstanding men of Beta Sigma Boulé in recognizing some of the most extraordinary students in our local community,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “To hold this luncheon during our Enshrinement festivities and include scholar and Basketball Hall of Famer, Shaquille O’Neal, was a dream for all parties involved.”
“We were so pleased with our inaugural event and the support shown by the Western Mass. community,” said Brooks Fitch, Beta Sigma Boulé, Committee Chairman. “We hope to build on this momentum with the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017, as we continue to celebrate the excellence of our local youth.”
This September, the Basketball Hall of Fame and Beta Sigma Boulé will continue this tradition by rewarding local high school students for their perseverance and excellence with a special Education and Leadership Luncheon at Springfield College. The event will be held on Friday, Sept. 8, 2017, in the Cleveland E. and Phyllis B. Dodge Room in the Flynn Campus Union. Local business leaders and community members are invited to purchase tickets to benefit the cause and have the opportunity to hear from a to be announced member of the Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2017.
About Beta Sigma Boulé:
Springfield’s member boulé of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Beta Sigma Boulé, was founded in 1983 and now includes 25 leaders throughout Western Mass in education, healthcare, law, business, and social services. Its primary focus is to improve the opportunities and well-being of young African-American males. For more information, please visit the organization’s website: www.betasigmaboule.org
About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame:
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was invented, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame promotes and preserves the game of basketball at every level – professional, collegiate and high school, for both men and women on the global stage.
For more information on the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame:
Visit us online: www.hoophall.com
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