LATEST BUZZ:
KT Press - Shooting For A Cause: How One Initiative Is Using Sports To Tackle Societal Challenges (March 20, 2024): Shooting Touch Rwanda's annual International Women's Day Celebration was held Saturday, March 16th in Nyamirama Sector, consisting of a 5km “March for Gender Equity,” 3v3 basketball tournament showcasing top Shooting Touch Rwanda (STR) youth and women athletes from four sectors in Kayonza District, as well as free health testing and educational speeches by government officials, local nonprofit partners, and STR leaders, focusing on gender equity, women’s health and rights. View full article.
WCVB Channel 5 (VIDEO) - Boston fathers raise money for Rwanda non-profit with three-point shootout competition (March 3, 2024): A group of Boston dads took to the court for the first annual Dads From Downtown 3Pt Contest, hosted by ISlide, to raise awareness and funds for the Boston-based international nonprofit Shooting Touch. Watch the full WCVB report.
Press Release - Shooting Touch and ISlide Partner To Open Basketball and Education “Home Court” For Boston-Area Female BIPOC Youth (November 6, 2023): The Boston-based footwear brand ISlide, USA has teamed up with Shooting Touch to create the first ever “Shooting Touch Home Court” located in Greater Boston. The organizations unveiled the new court at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, October 26.
Africa.com - In Rwanda, Basketball Unifies Partners to Say “No to NTDs” (May 26, 2023): Nyamirama, Rwanda – Following Africa Day, the Basketball Africa League (BAL), Shooting Touch and Speak Up Africa united and organized a basketball and health clinic to equip youth and BAL Ambassadors with the knowledge and tools they need to drive effective change in support of NTD elimination.
SiriusXM NBA - Shooting Touch Marathon Runner Won Jung Dribbles His Way Through the Finish Line! (April 17th, 2023): At the 2023 Boston Marathon, former Shooting Touch Rwanda Fellow Won Jung ran the full race while dribbling a basketball to race awareness and funds for Shooting Touch’s impactful programming. His story was featured on SiriusXM NBA’s “The Starting Lineup” radio show hosted by Frank Isola and Brian Scalabrine. Click HERE to watch the full interview and learn about Won’s remarkable achievement.
Boston Globe - How a basketball program rooted in Rwanda is changing the lives of young women in Boston (March 18, 2023): A group of 25 students and faculty from Shooting Touch and the Noble and Greenough School went to Rwanda for a trip to help spread Shooting Touch's mission of health advocacy for women and children and, of course, the power of sport.
Boston Business Journal - NBA Foundation awards grant to Boston nonprofit (February 3, 2023): Lindsey and Justin Kittredge both played college sports and understood, first-hand, the power of sport — its ability to bring people together and offer opportunity. After moving to Boston, the couple realized that being a part of a sports community is a "luxury" and is not accessible for many marginalized youth.
Press Release - NBA Foundation & Shooting Touch Team Up For Black History Month (February 1, 2023): In celebration of Black History Month, the NBA Foundation awarded grant funding to Boston-based nonprofit Shooting Touch in order to support economic empowerment and upward mobility for girls of color ages 9-17.
NBA.com Press Release - NBA Foundation Grant Announcement (February 1, 2023): The latest round of grants from the NBA Foundation includes 31 organizations total. Twelve of the 31 are receiving grant renewals and 19 of these organizations are first time recipients of a grant from the NBA Foundation, including Shooting Touch.
Press Release - Shooting Touch’s Newest Basketball Court Uplifts Bugesera District (November 8, 2022): This past August, Shooting Touch partnered with JDS Sports to construct its seventh basketball court in Rwanda, located in Rilima Sector, Bugesera District. The new court provides the Rilima community with a place to play basketball, socialize, and receive vital health education and resources. Read the full Press Release and watch the Rilima Court Project video.
Comic Relief - Meet Chantal: Chantal is a community leader, mum and basketball player whose life in Rwanda was changed by a sport and education charity called Shooting Touch…
Using sport to improve life and gender equality: In order to effectively expand access to basketball in Rwanda, Shooting Touch (Rwanda Program), a global sport-for-development organization is focusing its efforts on those living in villages, to help residents not only to be involved in basketball as a game but also help to promote health, gender equality, and education.
Shooting Touch Receives $150,000 In Investments From Nike, Inc. in Q1 of 2022: For the second year in a row, Nike’s Until We All Win community investment program has awarded $100,000 to Shooting Touch, a Boston-based global sport-for-development organization. In addition to this support, Shooting Touch is pleased to announce a $50,000 investment from Converse, a subsidiary of Nike, Inc.
Pressbox: Shooting Touch Rwanda Celebrates International Women’s Day with 5km March, Basketball Tournament, and Health Testing Event: In honor of International Women’s Day (IWD), Shooting Touch Rwanda (STR) hosted a community-wide celebration, utilizing the power of sport to recognize and uplift the remarkable women of Rwanda. The celebration, held on Sunday, 27 March from 8:00am to 2:00pm in Nyamirama Sector, consisted of a 5km car-free zone march, basketball tournament, community health education, and free health testing.
FIBA Basketball: Shooting Touch Rwanda is one of the FIBA Foundation's Supported Projects and was selected to receive equipment in order to enhance their activities. In collaboration with Kayonza District and Nyamirama Health Center, Shooting Touch held its first basketball tournament in over two years on Saturday, 26 February.
The New Times: Can society use sports to tackle gender-based violence?: Shooting Touch and the Nyamirama Health Center partnered up to facilitate a basketball tournament in Kayonza District as an engaging and interactive way to help mobilize the power of basketball to promote the issues around gender-based violence.
Top 10 Moments of 2021: Check out the Shooting Touch’s top moments of 2021!
WCVB Channel 5: Basketball camp focuses on girls’ mental health: A basketball camp for young people in Dorchester is not only focusing on dribbling and shooting, but the importance of maintaining mental health. “Our theme of the week is mental health and learning how to balance playing sports and life in general,” said Tahira Muhammad, is one of 10 high school athletes leading a clinic for Shooting Touch.
Top 10 Moments of 2020: Check out the Shooting Touch’s top moments of 2020!
Partner Spotlight: Shooting Touch: Working with Shooting Touch, Paper Crown developed a bespoke 3-month program model known as Court Clubs. Through a combination of participatory youth-friendly workshops on gender, GBV and leadership, alongside weekly club meetings led by Shooting Touch’s women coaches which foster deeper mindset change, the Court Clubs program is designed to inform and educate girls around these critical life topics while empowering them with the confidence they need to tackle harmful gender norms and emboldening them to stand up and speak out in their communities.
Boston Herald: From Rwanda to Boston, Shooting Touch focuses on empowering women, girls of color through basketball: Less than a month had passed since George Floyd died at the knee of a police officer back in late May, igniting an outcry for racial justice in every nook and cranny of the country. Boston proved no exception, and executive decision-makers of Shooting Touch — a nonprofit focused on empowering and providing opportunity to women and girls of color through basketball — knew they needed to do something for their members.
A Celebration of Women’s Stories of Hope and Inspiration: The Massachusetts Conference for Women is proud to partner with Target on the Storytellers contest to showcase how women continue to step up, help others, and spread joy even during this difficult year. We were moved by all the submissions and stories shared. Shooting Touch’s Boston Program Director, Brittany Gaetano, is selected as one of three winners for the 2020 Conference.
The Wake Up Call – KiShawn Pritchett – Making an Impact on the World: Davidson Basketball alum KiShawn Pritchett joins The Wake Up Call to discuss his upcoming trip to Rwanda for the Shooting Touch, his non-profit organization, and how this past year of challenges has shaped him.
American Citizens, Organizations Support Rwandan People Through COVID-19 Pandemic: The global coronavirus pandemic is causing significant change around the world, but some things remain constant — including the generosity of the American people and the many partnerships between Rwanda and the United States. While the U.S. government has committed more than US$5 million to date in emergency funding in support of Rwanda’s COVID-19 response, private American citizens, U.S. companies, and non-profit organizations based in the United States have also organized private contributions to support the Rwandan people during these difficult times.
Shooting Touch Program Has Gone Virtual: When Boston Public Schools closed on March 17, the program went virtual within 24 hours. According to co-founder Lindsey Kittredge, the vast majority of Shooting Touch participants jumped on the opportunity to participate in a valuable extracurricular activity, including Anjolie and her sister, Alix, a ninth-grader.
Program Director Featured in Global Gender Summit Interview: Our Rwanda Program Director, Christelle Umuhoza, is featured in an interview with the African Development Bank Group’s Global Gender Summit in Kigali.
Mama Lucy’s Story Feature in Comic Relief Blog: Mama Lucy lives in a Rwandan village and, with her husband, two daughters and a toddler grandson, she has a large family to look after. She sells milk from her cow and picks up tailoring work to support her family. Since being diagnosed as HIV positive she has coped with periods of extreme fatigue and illness, which made it hard to care for her family, but she also felt isolated and feared judgement. Mama Lucy used to stay at home, cut off from her community, until she heard about Shooting Touch.
Jerome “Junk Yard Dog” Williams Visits Rwanda Program: Jerome visited the Eastern Province of Rwanda and gave back the best way he knows how… Shooting for Peace! He held a basketball clinic that featured: shooting drills, stretching, dribbling drills, passing, and full-court games on not one but two full sized basketball courts.
Boston University 2019 Coach of the Year Marisa Moseley To Join Shooting Touch Board: June 19, 2019: Shooting Touch is pleased to announce the addition of Boston University Head Women’s Basketball Coach, Marisa Moseley to its Board of Directors. A Springfield, MA native and graduate of Boston University, Moseley returned to Boston last Spring after spending nine years as an assistant coach at UCONN, to take over the reins of her alma mater.
Shooting Touch Hires Former Colby College Head Coach as New Boston Program Director: April 29, 2019: Within the role, Gaetano will be responsible for running all aspects of Shooting Touch’s domestic program that provides health education, mentorship, empowerment, and academic support on- and off- the basketball court to 175 girls in the Boston area.
Shooting Touch Boston Coach and Player Featured in Boston Globe: January, 19, 2019: Christina Pham is learning about the game of life from her uncle through basketball.
John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: November, 12 2018: In partnership with Nyamirama Health Center, Shooting Touch was selected for a site visit as the top 4 of 504 health centers in Rwanda for the International Conference for Family Planning 2018 in Rwanda.
Shooting Touch Presents as Featured Speakers at the International Olympic Committe’s Olympism In Action Forum in Buenos Aires: October 5, 2018: Lindsey and Chloe share the organization’s story and impact in front of 2,000 #IOC delegates, athletes, leaders of countries and global leaders in the sport-for-development world.
ESPN Around the Horn: September 22, 2018: Watch as ESPN commentators go around the horn Shooting Touch style.
Shooting Touch WINS 2018 Beyond Sport Global Health and Well Being Award in NYC: September 12, 2018: Over 400 entries from organizations around the world, 35 nominations, 10 categories, 10 winners. We are so proud!
Olympic.org: August 29, 2018: Executive Director, Lindsey Kittredge describes the power of sport for girls and women.
Shooting Touch Nominated for Beyond Sport Global Award: July 23, 2018: Shooting Touch was a final Nominee for the Beyond Sports Global Health and Well being Award.
Power of Good Podcast: February, 2018: Executive Director Lindsey Kittredge explains Shooting Touch's evolution and impacts.
Boston Globe: July 17, 2017: Bob Hurley holds court at Roxbury Latin School.
Bob Hurley ESPY Award: July 13, 2017: Coach Bob Hurley has won a ESPY for Best Coach.
NESN.com: Jun 30, 2017: Boston Police Department Connects With Community At Girls Basketball Clinic.
WBZ News: Jun 29, 2017: Using basketball to empower and educate girls in inner-city Boston.
ESPN.com: May 8, 2017: Using basketball to break the cycle of poverty and disease in Rwanda.
International Olympic Committee: February 13, 2017 : Sport & Active Society Grant winner uses award to raise awareness of gender-based violence.
International Olympic Committee: October 17, 2016: Shooting Touch awarded 2016 Sport and Active Society Grant from IOC. One of four global organizations chosen.
Boston Magazine: September 30, 2016 : Program empowers through basketball, at home and abroad.
The Boston Globe: August 18, 2016 : Girls got game as they team up with police officers for hoop, life skills.
NECN: August 18, 2016 : Shooting Touch Basketball Camp Helps Reach At-Risk Youth On The Court
