From the desk of: Celebrating Long Island’s hardwood helpers

The Island Now

By Kevan M. Abrahams

Minority Leader, Nassau County Legislature

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, I have continued to draw tremendous inspiration from the admirable and selfless deeds performed by so many Nassau County residents.

Thanks to the heroic actions of first responders and essential workers; the courageous doctors and healthcare workers who risked their own health to save others; the scientists working tirelessly to create safe, effective vaccines; and the tireless philanthropists who are working to overcome food insecurity in our communities, there is much to be grateful for even during these tremendously difficult times.

Although the ongoing pandemic has prevented the Long Island Nets from taking the court, the team and its front office have continued to diligently serve the community they proudly call home. In addition to aiding direct pandemic relief through food drives, mask giveaways and direct deliveries of sneakers to nurses, they have reinvented their outreach and continued to pursue their mission to support education, social justice and equality.

In the lead-up to the 2020 election, the L.I. Nets utilized their unique position in the community to promote early voting and civic engagement across their various digital platforms. They also partnered with my colleague, County Legislator Siela Bynoe, to ensure seniors at local assisted living communities had the opportunity to vote by providing bus transportation to the polls.

The L.I. Nets are also keenly focused on uplifting diverse communities, supporting young people, and empowering girls in sports.

During LGBTQ Pride Month in June, the Nets partnered with Pride for Youth to host a Careers in Sports panel. Over the summer, they also launched an engaging program for high school students interested in pursuing a career in sports law, in partnership with the New York Liberty and the Ronald H. Brown Center for Civil Rights at St. John’s University School of Law.

However, as a father of two children, their commitment to education – the ultimate vehicle for social justice – is most impressive to me. Throughout the pandemic, the Nets hosted a series of virtual Read to Achieve events on Facebook Live as part of their ongoing mission to cultivate a lifelong love of reading in elementary school students.

The series culminated this August with a virtual “read-a-thon,” hosted with their Freeport-based philanthropic partners, the Book Fairies. Just last month, the Nets distributed a donation of school and cleaning supplies to two local elementary schools in Long Island, helping more than 400 students. In addition, the Nets have co-sponsored numerous backpack giveaway and Stuff-A-Bus events throughout Nassau County, benefitting thousands of deserving young people.

After hosting 85 community events during the 2019-20 season, donating tens of thousands of dollars back to the community and benefitting thousands of students, it’s little wonder why the L.I. Nets were honored with the NBA G League Social Responsibility/Youth Basketball Program Award for achieving excellence in community outreach and youth basketball initiatives in 2020.

While they complete many of these efforts without great fanfare, their wide-reaching impact is something we can all cherish as we continue to count our blessings in this New Year.

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