The Holliday’s Helping Hands Foundation hosted their inaugural Basketball Tournament to raise funds for their organization and promote their annual scholarship.
This is the fifth-year anniversary of the HHH Scholarship. HHH Foundation owner and CEO Katina Holliday hopes the scholarship creates a “legacy of giving.” Earning a scholarship in her youth inspired her to pay it forward.
“To be able to create that goal and achieve it has been amazing,” Holliday said. “We give them $1000, the check goes directly to the kid with their name on it and they’re able to buy their stuff.”
The HHH Scholarship is for high school seniors who are looking to further their education at a trade school, Community College, or four-year institution. The application can be found on https://hollidayshh.org/scholarship/.
The basketball tournament component was also created to bring the community together, according to HHH community relations and grants manager Carlos Davis.
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“In the climate that we’re in … that sense of community, we are very isolated,” Davis said. “Usually everybody gets along around sports.”
The JV and varsity boys basketball teams from New Designs High School, the varsity team from Compton High battled in the tournament. There was also the “Preachers of L.A.” squad, a team from Serenity Recuperative Care and a squad of HHH staff members that competed.
“It gives them the opportunity to play outside of what they normally would do,” said HHH COO Charlie Wisenn. “It’s competitive, they’re out there playing hard.”
New Designs and the HHH staff went head-to-head in the championship game with the HHH staff securing the victory. The winners earned championship rings.
“We came in not knowing if we was gonna win,” said HHH player Isaiah Todd. “We all came together and just said to each other: let’s just win this, let’s play hard, lets play together.”
New Designs varsity boys basketball coach Wilfredo Argueta noted how he wants the squad to be more than competitive athletes. He coaches three teams at the school.
“I like to get my players involved with the community because I want to make them model citizens,” Argueta said. “In order to be model citizens, they got to be a part of the society here.”
For Compton senior Jorden McDaniel, the tournament provided him with another opportunity to play basketball.
“This is fun because I haven’t played basketball since October because I wasn’t able to play this season,” McDaniel said. “I wish I could have been more in shape, [we] probably would have won.”
HHH Foundation provides interim housing and wrap-around services for the unhoused and formerly incarcerated. Their main priority is helping women. They also provide employment opportunities.
For more information about HHH, please visit https://hollidayshh.org/
