ST. PETERS – On May 14, the Shoot Hoops, Not Guns project commenced in St. Peters. Over the weekend, community-building exercises took place, stories by a long-time resident of the neighborhood were shared, and several groups went into the neighborhood to ask residents what they would like to see improve in their neighborhood.
The youth of St. Peters took the lead in these exercises and gathered the aforementioned information on neighborhood improvement from residents. This information was used to develop some plans for execution in the weekend of May 21 and 22, called the “Hands-On Weekend.”
These plans consist of: 1. Cleaning the basketball court and adjacent playground; 2. Making bins to be placed on the corners of the basketball court; 3. Making flowerpots to be placed close to the basketball court and playground; 4. Making signage like ‘no smoking’ and ‘no littering’ to be placed by the basketball court and playground; 5. Teaching the youth how to make basketball nets, so they can, at any time, have functioning basketball nets without having to purchase more.
All residents of St. Peters, interested persons and organizations, are called to participate in the scheduled neighborhood improvements. Donations in the form of materials like wood, old tires, garbage bags, (yard) tools, paint, etc. are most welcome.
The “Hands-On Weekend” will be followed by a 3-on-3 basketball tournament surrounded by fun activities on May 28. Interested persons and organizations can contact the Shoot Hoops, Not Guns committee via their Facebook page www.facebook.com/shoothoopsnotguns or e-mail: info@island-hoops.com.
