Looking to Get Back on the Court in a New Way? Volunteer to Coach!

The Takoma Park Recreation Department relies heavily on parents/adults as volunteers to orchestrate our Winter Basketball League. This helps immensely in the continued success of our Winter Basketball League. The league will tip off January 21 and run through March 11.

“Volunteers are the heart and soul of our organization – without their hard work and dedication, we couldn’t do the work we do every day to help kids, families, and the community thrive,” said Debby Huffman, acting director, City of Takoma Park Recreation Department. “By bringing people together from all walks of life around a shared purpose to do good, the Recreation Department is helping create a stronger, more cohesive community.”

One of our newer coaches last season was Akil Charles. Akil is a personal trainer for his own company, A.R.C. (Achieve, Rise, Conquer) Athletics. He started volunteering as a coach for the Winter Basketball League in 2022. He played basketball at Eleanor Roosevelt High School and collegiately at St. Francis Xavier University (Nova Scotia, Canada). He has coached for the United States Basketball Association (USBA) in Guangzhou, Zhuhai, China.

Akil said, “It is important to me to be a volunteer and a coach. I look forward to it every year. Basketball is my passion, and I love giving back to the community. The Winter Basketball league gives me a chance to spread my knowledge of the game to youth on my team as well as many others.”

Akil believes that staying connected beyond the basketball season is very important. He said, “This volunteer opportunity as a coach has helped me to stay connected and build relationships with youth and their parents from the Winter Basketball League on and off the court.”

Throughout the season many players said they enjoyed playing in the league. One participant said, “I love my coach. I wasn’t sure about playing at first, but my coach made sure to make it fun for me.” The primary objective of the Takoma Park Recreation Department Winter Basketball League is to develop people, not professional athletes. Volunteer coaches are dedicated to developing youth and will emphasize the values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility. For more information on volunteering, contact John Webster via johnw@takomaparkmd.gov. We are looking forward to another great season!

This article was featured in the October 2022 Newsletter. Visit the Takoma Park Newsletter webpage to see the full list of past newsletters.