DREAM! WISH! IMAGINE!

H.O.OP DREAMS( HELPING OUT OUR PEOPLE) IT STARTED WITH A GROUP OF FRIENDS THAT SHARED THE SAME DREAM AND CONCERNED PARENTS WILLING TO LEND A HAND IN THEIR CHILDRENS EFFORTS. COACH ANDRE L. JANT BEGAN BY HELPING HIS NEPHEW (TO BE'S) CHURCH LEAGUE BASKETBALL TEAM BUT HAD A VISION FOR SOMETHING MUCH BIGGER AND BRIGHTER FOR THESE CHILDREN. HE WANTED TO MAKE THEM MORE THAN JUST A LOCAL TEAM WITH DREAMS OF MAKING IT BIG HE REALIZED THESE BOYS WANTED TO PLAY FOR PRESTIGIOUS HIGH SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES  ONE DAY, AND HAVE A TRACK RECORD TO SHOW THAT THIS WAS MORE THAN JUST PIPE DREAMS. HE ENLISTED THE HELP OF HIS FIANCE( ILIANE L. LEWIS) AND SISTER IN LAW (TO BE L'TOINE C. THOMPSON) AND THE OUTCOME WAS H.O.O.P DREAMS. AND THIS BLOG IS DEDICATED TO THEM AND WILL HIGHLIGHT THEIR STORY.

WE HAD A CHANCE TO SIT DOWN WITH CAOCH DRE' AS THE TEAM SO AFFECTIONATELY CALLS HIM AND HE GAVE US A LITTLE INSIGHT ON WHATS IN STORE FOR THE O.P.H.C TROJANS.

MS. MONROE: BEING YOUR FIANCE AND ASSISTANT I DONT ALWAYS GET TO KNOW WHAT YOUR PLANS ARE FOR THE BOYS BECAUSE YOUR BRAIN IS ALWAYS WORKING A MILE PER MINUTE (LOL) AND IT'S HARD FOR ME TO CATCH UP! WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU SEE WHEN IT COMES TO THE BOYS?

DRE: ALOT OF POTENTIAL, I SEE THAT IF THEY WORK HARD THEY HAVE THE ADVANTAGE TO DO THINGS THAT 80% OF THEIR SURROUNDINGS ARE TELLING THEM THEY CAN'T DO  IN OTHER WORDS BASED ON STATISTICS AND THE FACT THAT THE COMMUNITY PROMOTES NEGATIVITY THEY WOULD PROBABLY FALL PREY TO THE ENVIRONMENT IF THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE PARENTS THEY HAVE AND THE LOVE FOR THE POSITIVE THINGS! LIKE THIS SPORT THAT THEY COME HERE TO PLAY 5 DAYS A WEEK.

MS. MONROE: IT'S SOMETIMES HARD TO MAINTAIN A LESS PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CHILDREN BECAUSE OFTEN TIMES WE WANT TO HELP NURTURE THEM DO YOU AT TIMES FIND THIS TO BE CONFLICTING?

DRE: I FEEL AS THOUGH IF THE PARENTS ALLOWS US TO COACH THEM AND HELP OUT IT'S ONLY NATURAL TO GIVE THEM THE EXTRA LOVE AND SUPPORT AND AS MUCH OF IT AS YOU CAN IT'S ONLY JUST THAT YOU LIVE BY THE SAYING IT TAKES A VILLAGE BECAUSE IN ALL HONESTY IT DOES YOU BUILD A RELATIONSHIP WITH THESE KIDS AND THE PARTICIPATING FAMILIES WHY NOT SHARE AND CELEBRATE  IN THEIR SUCCESS AND TRIUMPHS AND OTHER JOYS, WHY NOT COMFORT AND BE THERE TO CO-PARENT SO TO SPEAK WHEN THEY ARE FEELING DOWN AND  NEED A SHOULDER, WE'RE ALL HERE FOR THAT SOLE PURPOSE  AND WHATEVER WAY WE CAN HELP IN! WHY NOT....

MS. MONROE: THAT'S HONESTLY SO BEAUTIFUL BECAUSE ALOT OF TIMES WE DON'T SEE PEOPLE SHOWING ANY ACTS OF KINDNESS OR EVEN GENUINELY LOVING AND WANTING TO HELP A PERSON OR PEOPLE THEY BARELY EVEN KNOW FOR REASONS OTHER THAN HELPING THEMSELVES, WHY DID YOU START COACHING AND AND WHAT SPARKED THE NEED TO WANT TO SET OUT AND DO THIS ON YOUR OWN?

DRE: WELL GROWING UP I PLAYED SPORTS I AM AN ATHLETE BY NATURE I PLAYED EVERYTHING FROM BASEBALL TO SOCCER , I WAS ON AAU TEAMS FOR BASKETBALL AND FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS I PLAYED SEMI- PRO FOOTBALL FOR THE BROOKLYN BANGELS AND THE BROOKLYN BOB CATS  I NEVER WENT TO SCHOOL FOR COACHIING BUT THROUGHOUT MY LIFE I'VE BEEN BLESSED WITH THE OPPRITUNITY TO COACH YOUTH TEAMS THROUGH OUT MY HIGHSCHOOL YEARS SO WITH THAT AND MY KNOWLEDGE OF SPORTS I MAKE DO I DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING BUT SEEING AS THOUGH I HELPED A FEW KIDS GO TO SOME D1 SCHOOLS ( LOL) I GUESS I KNOW A LITTLE ABOUT A LOT (SMILES AND CHUCKLES).

MS. MONROE: LOL SO I SEE MR. MODEST HUH; WHAT DO YOU SEE THIS ACTUALLY BECOMING IN  THE FUTURE ?

DRE: HONESTLY MY HOPE  IS TO AS SOON AS POSSIBLE WITH THE HELP OF SOME GOVERNMENT FUNDING TURN THIS INTO AN URBAN OUTREACH PROGRAM FOR NOT ONLY YOUTH BUT ADULTS. I LOVE HELPING PEOPLE AND I KNOW YOU DO TOO, SO HOPEFULLY WE CAN DEFINITEELY REACH THE EARS AND HEARTS OF PEOPLE AND MAKE THIS HAPPEN I MEAN THERE'S NOT ALOT TO DO IN NIAGARA FALLS SO THAT LEAVES ROOM FOR ERROR WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO YOUTH.  WE DON'T WANT TO LET OURS CONTINUE SLIPPING THRU THE CRACKS YOU KNOW WE NEED TO COME TOGETHER AS A PEOPLE AND SHOW OUR KIDS THERE'S A BETTER WAY, SEE I'M NOT PROMISING THE NBA BUT WHAT I CAN GUARRANTEE  IS BETTER MEN FOR OUR WOMAN BETTER SONS FOR OUR MOTHERS AND FATHERS AND BETTER FATHER'S FOR OUR CHILDREN  I MEAN IF I HAVE MY WAY IT WILL BE LIKE THAT I WANT OUR YOUNG PEOPLE TO THINK BEFORE THEY ACT AND KNOW IF YOU THINK POSTIVE YOU CAN DREAM BIG! THE BIGGER THE DREAM THE BETTER THE POSSIBILITY BUT I CANT CHANGE YOU! YOU HAVE TO WANT IT I CAN MEET YOU HALF WAY BUT THE OTHER 50% IS LEFT UP TO YOU.

MS. MONROE: IS THIS A CO-ED PROGRAM?

DRE: IT'S FOR WHOMEVER WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND THEY HAVE THE WNBA SO WHY CAN'T I HAVE MY GIRL TEAM (LOL)

MS. MONORE: WHAT ARE THE AGE LIMITS? AND I KNOW THAT THIS SUMMER THEY'VE BEEN PLAYING IN THE NIAGARA FALLS CATARCT GAMES CAN WEE GET THE SCHEDULES JUST IN CASE PEOPLE WANNA COME OUT AND WATCH?

DRE: SURE! WE HAVE  TWO DIVISIONS THE AGES ARE 13-14 AND 15-18 , THE GAMES ARE COMING TO A CLOSE BUT WE HAVE A FEW MORE GAMES WHERE YOU CAN COME AND NOT ONLY SEE THE TROJANS BUT THERE ARE OTHER  TEAMS PLAYING AS WELL THE GAMES ARE EVERY WEEKEND SATURDAYS AND SUNDAY STARTING FROM  9AM - 8PM IF I'M CORRECT BUT DON'T QUOTE ME I GOT OLD MAN'S SYNDROME AT 23 LOL.

MS. MONROE: WELL THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND I REALLY DO APPRECIATE YOU FOR WHAT YOUR DOING I KNOW YOU HAVE PRACTICE IN A FEW SO GO HEAD GET OUTTA HERE AND I'LL SEE YOU FOR DINNER...

DRE: YOUR WELCOME MY LOVE.

ONE THING I LEARNED FROM THIS INTERVIEW IS NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU THINK YOU KNOW A PERSON YOU REALLY DON'T ANDRE IS MY FIANCE AND I HAD KNOW CLUE HIS HEART WAS THIS BIG AND MY SISTER L'TOINE SHE'S AMAZING I KNEW THEY WANTED TO HELP PEOPLE BUT I NEVER KNEW THAT THEIR WANTING TO HELP WAS ALMOST A NEED FOR THEM AND IT SEEMS THAT THEIR LOVE FOR WANTING MAKE A DIFFERENCE WAS THE SPARK OF IT ALL

"IN ORDER TO INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF SUCCESS SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO JUST KEEP WALKING:NO MATTER WHAT YOU HEAR " - MS. BIANCA & MR. HOWARD -( NIAGARA FALLS HOUSING RESOURCE CENTER)