Hoops for hope

by Asé Mora

Summer was near at Willard Middle School – laughing, dancing and cheering erupted during lunch time. Dozens of students filled the courtyard amidst a Hoopbus take over, bringing music, food, entertainment, and most importantly basketball!

Hoopbus is a nonprofit organization that utilizes basketball to make a positive impact on youth across the world. With nine chapters across the globe, the mission of Hoopbus is to educate, inspire and bring love to communities in need through the power of basketball.

Brian Velasquez, Bay Area Chapter Director for Hoopbus mentioned,

“One of those things where you just feel refreshed just to see the joy in these kids… Because they’re not worried about having to pay for a mortgage or like how am I gonna get my next meal? They’re just out there purely having fun, you know purely just smiling. It just rubs off on all of us.” 

He was referring to the infectious nature of the Hoopbus and its ability to inspire passion and bring joy in places its needed most. 

Soon the organization will be launching Hoopbus University, an eight week program aimed at making an impact on the youth. It provides them with more opportunities, especially since they do not always have access to in school classrooms. The program was first started in Los Angeles, and then later launched in New York according to Velasquez. This time around, the organization is extending the initiative to multiple schools across the Bay Area, an opportunity made possible through Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Voices for Mental Health and Wellness Campaign, a component of their Mentoring for Health and Wellness Initiative. 

Similar to their Willard Middle School takeover, Hoopbus would come into schools during PE classes, and engage students with different physical activities, and influential guest speakers. It would be followed by discussions related to the four pillars of the program: self-discipline, teamwork, gratitude and self-care. 

According to Velasquez, the eye-catching Hoopbus combined with the passionate people who engage the community, the official joyspreaders, is the formula that creates this uplifting environment. Oftentimes the Hoopbus will utilize influential people to help appeal to the kids and bridge the gap in resources and access within the public school system, such as viral streetball player Drew Koda.

Similarly  Koda affirms, sports have the power to bridge generations, communities, and positively impact younger generations by instilling in them team building skills. Koda explained,

“When we go to different places, there’s a lot of kids that don’t get to experience this type of love, this type of joy, this type of peace. And when that bus comes around, it’s just strictly just the bus, the basketball, and a unity, a united game. Everyone’s united and it doesn’t matter what color you are, it doesn’t matter what gender you are, it’s all love at the end of the day. So, I feel like that’s what the hoop bus really embodies.” 

Angela Olivé, official joyspreader at the Hoopbus, also emphasized how her motivation to work with the Hoop Bus was driven by the impact she could make spreading love and joy through the game of basketball. 

Jalen Chandler, is a PE teacher as well, an official joyspreader at the Hoopbus. He also emphasized the power of basketball, and its ability to put a smile on people’s faces.

“I’ve seen it time and time again, just basically running around when we’re driving the bus, we stop on the side of the street, force somebody to shoot a ball, and they make it, it changes their whole day,” he expressed. 

Robert Harrison, Willard Middle School therapist, stated that the Hoopbus takeover at Willard Middle School gave the students a break from the rigorous school year and allowed them to just be kids and have fun. 

If there is anything you should be on the lookout for in the Bay Area, it is the Hoopbus!

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Source: https://sfbayview.com/2026/06/hoops-for-hope/