– T’is the season to be jolly, as Canada Basketball launches the third
annual
‘GIVE THE GIFT OF THE GAME’ holiday drive running from November 16 –
December
31, 2010. From online/mobile donations to special Team Canada
merchandise
offers to discounted tickets for Canada Basketball Day @ ACC (December
5, 2010
– Raptors vs. Knicks), to an NBA’s online auction, basketball
enthusiasts
across the country can all join in the spirit of giving.
GIVE THE GIFT OF BASKETBALL THIS HOLIDAY
SEASON
- Four Ways
to Get in the Game to Assist Basketball in Canada -
“Passionate Canadians can
make a direct impact on the future of the basketball in our nation with ‘GIVE
THE GIFT OF THE GAME’ campaign,” said Wayne Parrish, Executive Director and CEO
for Canada Basketball. “Working closely with our key basketball partners
at Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment and NBA Canada, our vision with
this campaign is to see the basketball community from coast to coast join
forces and give a little to re-invest in the sport that they love to improve
quality of the game for the next generation of young basketball players.”
Whether you are a player,
coach, administrator, or diehard hoops fan, this ‘GIVE THE GIFT OF THE GAME’
campaign encourages proud Canadian to rally together and support young athletes
from the grassroots to the elite. Internationally, 10 teams (ages 15-32
years old) are slated to compete in 2011 at world-class tournaments such
as the FIBA World Championships, Olympic Qualification events, Pan
American Games and the FISU Summer Univerisade.
Domestically, Canada
Basketball is equally committed to growing the game at grassroots level, with
more than 16,000 kids currently enrolled in the Steve Nash Youth Basketball
program (ages 5-13 years old). Basketball, as a national sport, is on the rise
and critical funding from the community is vital to keep the momentum going for
our youth that have the passion, desire and commitment to one day represent Canada on
courts around the world.
Canada Basketball offers four ways for
PROUD CANADIANS to ‘GIVE THE GIFT OF THE GAME’:
- DONATE...online now to help Canada’s young
basketball athletes and receive a 100% charitable tax receipt instantly at
http://www.canadahelps.org/GivingPages/GivingPage.aspx?gpID=5821
or text
HOOPS to 30333 to make a one-time $5 CDN donation.*
- SHOP...at http://shop.basketball.ca
to take
advantage of the 12 DAYS OF SHOPPING special offers (December 1-13)
- BID...on unique items at NBA’s Online Auction at
http://auctions.nba.com/
(December
2-12)
- GO...to Canada
Basketball Day at Air Canada
Centre (Raptors vs. Knicks - December 5, discounted tickets on sale
now at www.raptors.com/ticketpass)
For more information
on the GIVE THE GIFT OF THE GAME campaign see below or visit www.basketball.ca
.
Donate to Canadian Basketball Foundation – 3 ways to give back:
The Canadian Basketball
Foundation is a registered charitable organization dedicated to growing the
game of basketball from the grassroots to the elite level. Caring Canadians can
“pay it forward” by make a generous donation to the CBF in lieu of purchasing
gifts this season. Whether online, mobile or mail, Canada
Basketball is making giving even easier this holiday season:
Mobile: You can make difference with $5 CDN. Simply
text HOOPS to short code 30333 to make a one-time donation of $5 CDN and
help Canada’s teams on the quest to the 2011 World Championships and Olympic
Qualifiers.* With your help and your mobile, we can put Canada Basketball
where it belongs – amongst the best!
*A one-time donation of $5 CDN will be added to your mobile phone bill. All
charges are billed by and payable to your mobile service provider. Under 16
must seek permission from bill payer or have parental approval.
Online: Your gift of $25, $50 or $100
puts us one step closer to developing Canada’s young athletes for the
global stage. Simply visit the ‘CANADA BASKETBALL GIFT OF THE GAME’
custom online giving page at http://www.canadahelps.org/GivingPages/GivingPage.aspx?gpID=5821
before
December 31, 2010 (12 am EST) and receive an electronic 100% charitable tax
receipt instantly for 2010.
Mail / Fax: Visit www.basketball.ca
and click
on the “Canadian Basketball Foundation” logo to download the CBF donation form
and fax back to (416) 614-9570. All contributions made before midnight
December 31, 2010 (12 am EST) will receive a 100% charitable tax receipt for
2010.
Canada
Basketball / NBA Online Auction:
Ultimate sports fans can
get into the game with Canada Basketball’s second annual online auction in
partnership with NBA Canada. It is 10 days of madness as people can bid
on 20 unique and exciting packages from December 2 – 12, 2010. Proceeds
benefit Canada Basketball and its various national programs.
“We are
pleased to be providing a creative avenue for
fundraising for Canada Basketball's athlete development
programs,” said Dan Mackenzie, General Manager for NBA
Canada. “This auction showcases unique items that celebrate our nation’s
diverse history in basketball while raising critical funds to re-invest in
growing our sport.”
Popular items include Team
Canada 2010 World Championship signed memorabilia, a 2010 Worlds Gold Medalist
Team USA autographed basketball, an ultimate Raptors fan pack including hotel
accommodations and pair of tickets to the Toronto Raptors vs. L.A. Lakers game
(December 19, 2010), a Behind-the-Scenes broadcast experience and a trip to
South America to attend the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship for Men in Mar Del
Plata, Argentina.
Canada Basketball Day at Air
Canada
Centre (December 5, 2010):
The Toronto Raptors will
host the 6th annual Canada Basketball Day at Air Canada Centre on
December 5, 2010 as the home team takes on the New York Knicks with Team Canada’s Andy
Rautins. A celebration of the great game of basketball, fans in
arena and across Canada are encouraged to take part by tuning in to NBA TV
Canada for the pre-game show (12:00 pm ET) followed by the game broadcast on
Sportsnet (1:00 pm ET).
The first 5,000 fans will
receive free giveaways at gates 1, 2 and 5. Fans are also encouraged to
make a charitable donation. New for 2010, Canada Basketball will host an
in-arena silent auction at Gate 1 with unique Canadian sports memorabilia on
sale to the highest bidder. Items include a Team Canada Limited Edition
World Championship Game Jersey, Jay Triano autographed package, Joel Anthony
signed shoes and more.
As an added bonus the
Toronto Raptors are pleased to offer all Canada Basketball players, friends,
family and supporters a chance to save up to 24% off regular ticket prices throughout
the arena. To order tickets visit www.raptors.com/ticketpass
and use the
special offer code “Canada”.
“The Toronto Raptors are
honoured to once again host Canada Basketball Day at Air Canada Centre,” said
Tom Anselmi, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Maple Leaf
Sports & Entertainment, and Canada Basketball board member. “This marks the
sixth year we have partnered with Canada Basketball and we’re pleased to be
part of the celebration and help promote the exciting game of basketball in Canada.”
For a complete schedule of ‘GIVE THE GIFT OF THE GAME’ components please see
below.
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Moving forward for CANADA
BASKETBALL 2011 NATIONAL TEAMS AND COMPETITIONS:
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FOLLOW CANADA
BASKETBALL ON:
- Twitter at http://twitter.com/canbball
- Facebook fanpage at http://www.facebook.com
Keyword:
CANADA
BASKETBALL
- Web on to www.basketball.ca
About Canada Basketball and FIBA:
Canada
Basketball (www.basketball.ca) is a private, not-for-profit
corporation that is committed to the growth of the sport in Canada.
Just as important, Canada
Basketball is focused on the development and preparation of Canada’s
national teams for the Olympic; Pan American and FISU Games as well as the
World Championships. The aspiration of Canada Basketball is to instill the
pride, commitment, passion and respect that Canadians personify into the
development of basketball across the country and internationally.
FIBA (www.fiba.com), the
world governing body for basketball, is an independent association formed by
213 National Federations of basketball throughout the world. It is recognized
as the sole competent authority in basketball by the International Olympic
Committee (IOC). Its main upcoming events in 2011 include the FIBA U19 World
Championships for Men and Women, and the FIBA Olympic Qualification Tournaments
for Men and Women.