INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — The Florida Comets organization is proud to announce their league has been named a recipient for a grant from United Way in Indian River County. The $2,500 grant was approved to assist with the sports and education program which helps kids “shoot for the stars” to further their expansion in Indian River County.
The Florida Comets Founder and Head Coach is Dr. Bennie Shaw, who is an assistant principal at Sebastian River Middle School. Shaw, a former NBA player and Hall of fame recipient from UCF, started the program in 2005 in Titusville, Florida (then known as the Lady Comets) to help children in the community build confidence in life and gain access to a college education.
In the 2009/2010 season the Florida Comets AAU Basketball grew from one team to six, and in the 2010/2011 season the league grew to 9 teams, involving boys and girls grades 5 through 9.
Focusing on character building, teamwork and academic discipline, the Florida Comets organization is proud of 13 student athletes receiving scholarships to college thus far. During the 2010-2011 season, the Florida Comets celebrated several capstone moments, such as the 9th grade boys reaching the “Final Four” and the 8th grade girls receiving 2 national titles back to back and members of the team received special honors such as Academic excellence and humanitarian awards along with being #1 ranked with YBOA.
Florida Comets are pleased to expand the league this season by adding an instructional division (grades 3, 4). This will compliment the developmental (grades 5, 6), the competitive (grades 7, 8) and the elite level (grades 9 and up) where the students are exposed to colleges, coaches and scholarship opportunities.
Players for the Florida Comets must meet the 3 A’s of being part of the league-Academics, Attitude and Athletic Ability.
A volunteer based, non-profit 501(c)3 organization, Florida Comets basketball is dedicated to the advancement and development of youth through basketball to insure access to a college education.
“Our goal is that for each student who wishes to play Florida Comets basketball and has the Academics, Attitude and Athletic Ability that they be given the opportunity,” Head Coach Dr. Shaw said. “While we work hard to keep our registration fees modest compared to other programs, it can be a significant sacrifice for many families. We need the sponsorships and support from our community to help cover items such as gym rentals, uniforms, basketballs, league registration fees and other program costs. This United Way grant will make a significant difference in helping us move forward with our ability to serve this community.”
For more information on the Florida Comets, please visit our website at www.floridacomets.org.
Photo: comets_2
