Ahead of the approaching Tết Lunar New Year, the professional basketball club Thang Long Warriors conducted a meaningful charity trip combined with a basketball exchange program at Tằng Loỏng Town Primary School, Bảo Thắng District, Lào Cai Province.
The two-day event, held on January 6-7, 2024, kicked off the club’s 2024 series of charitable projects. The initiative aimed to support children in difficult circumstances, encourage them to excel in their studies, and serve as a bridge to bring them closer to the orange ball.
This was also an opportunity for Thang Long Warriors by PJICO to connect and share with the local basketball community, including the Ghost Club Basketball Team and numerous ballers from Lào Cai City and surrounding areas. Notably, the program also carried the basketball passion of player Lê Hoàng Đan through the accompanying DanLe Foundation.
The trip featured promising young players from the club, such as Đậu Trung Kiên and Phạm Nhật Thái Quang.
Ms. Tracy Thư Lương, President of Thang Long Warriors Club, shared: “Love inspires love. For me, the love of basketball and the warrior spirit always go hand-in-hand with community responsibility. Thang Long Warriors is truly happy to have had the opportunity to visit the mountainous town of Tằng Loỏng in these first days of the new year. The scenery and people here welcomed the Warriors very warmly. We sincerely thank the warm hearts, the benefactors, and especially the DanLe Foundation, for always believing in and accompanying Thang Long Warriors.”
A week prior to the trip, the club organized a Pick-up Game Year End Party 2023 at OCenter, aimed at mobilizing the community to spread love. For every person who participated, Thang Long Warriors committed to donating 100,000 VND from its budget to the club’s 2024 charity fund.
The pre-trip event received enthusiastic support from basketball lovers across Hanoi, with participation hitting the 100-person milestone, successfully collecting 110 sets of clothes, 83 teddy bears, along with essential school supplies, children’s comics, and other necessities.
On the first day of the trip, the team visited and presented gifts at Trát 1 and Trát 2 Primary Schools, two branch campuses located deep in the mountains with difficult and perilous access.
Here, the charity group presented meaningful gifts, including cash, warm clothes, socks, and essential school supplies, to the schools and 48 students. Additionally, the club donated two portable basketball hoops and 12 basketballs to help bring the sport closer to students in disadvantaged areas and create beneficial playgrounds for them.
Beyond the donations, the players taught basic basketball skills, including shooting, and organized various basketball games with prizes, attracting a large number of students and ethnic minority locals.
During the program, the local Ghost Club Basketball Team committed to sending personnel to the hamlets weekly to coach the students and take good care of the meaningful gifts provided by Thang Long Warriors.
The following morning, the team participated in a friendly exchange with the Ghost Club and local young basketball enthusiasts. Despite the light rain, nearly 200 ballers and parents were present early at the Apatite basketball court (Tằng Loỏng Town) to welcome the “Dinosaur Warriors.”
At this event, the team also presented many attractive gifts to Lào Cai’s orange-ball fans: 30 Jogarbola basketballs, 10 Mitre sports shirts, 48 sets of basketball jerseys for various age groups, and many other souvenirs. Notably, four outstanding young participants who performed exceptionally well in the exchange activities were gifted the VBA 2023 MVP Caps belonging to imports John Fields and Sameen Swint.
This meaningful charity activity by Thang Long Warriors not only provided children with better resources and supplies for school but also strongly reaffirmed the “Red Half of the Capital’s” commitment to fulfilling its community mission.
