PRAIRIE VILLAGE, Kan. — Three years ago, Fina Kessler was a shy freshman on the Shawnee Mission East girls basketball team.
She was one of the Lancers’ top players, but her confidence lagged behind her status on the court.
“Our first road trip, I had to order her food for her, because she was too too embarrassed or too shy to order,” SM East girls basketball coach Doug Archer said.
Kessler remembers that meal in McPherson, Kansas.
“I wouldn't say I was shy, but I wasn't confident,” she said. “... I don't know what pizza place it was, but I know it's not a pizza place. I was a freshman and there was one other freshman on varsity. So, sitting with a bunch of 17-year-olds, and I wanted jalapeños on my pizza so bad, I was like, ‘Gosh, these girls are gonna think I'm so weird. Coach Archer, please order for me.’”
Playing sports helped Kesler find her voice and now she’s empowering girls 8,500 miles away.
“I always encouraged her to to step outside her comfort zone and encouraged her to use her voice and be a leader, whether that be on the floor or off the floor,” Archer said.
On a visit to Kenya, where her mom, Sarah, does public health research, Kessler noticed hesitation among the girls.
“One of our most recent trips, we went and brought soccer balls for a village school and we got to play with the kids,” Kessler said. “But while we were playing, I noticed that only the boys got to play. Seeing the girls watching from the sidelines really stuck with me, because I've always been encouraged to just jump right in and play with the boys.”
Kessler started a nonprofit, Hoops 4 Her, with the goal of empowering girls through basketball — and finding power within herself.
“During my games, I would come out during halftime and give speeches about Hoops 4 Her while I had some of my teammates go and pass out flyers that I made,” Kessler said.
She also designed and sold Hoops 4 Her T-shirts
“I put together a website, an Instagram page, and just started sharing the word and trying to get people to be aware about it,” Kessler said.
She raised $10,000 with help from the other Sunflower League teams, who had a friendly fundraising competition in February that raised more than $3,000.
“It was crazy to think that, when I was just planning all of this here, that there was girls that knew about it in Kenya and were counting down the days and super excited,” Kessler said.
Kessler, who conducted a five-day camp Aug. 4-8 at Moi University in Eldoret, Kenya, plans to conduct another camp in the eastern African country next summer.
“I'm committed to making that happen again next year, because otherwise there'll be a bunch of disappointed girls,” she said.
But Kessler also has bigger plans to “bring it to some areas here locally, because there's girls that would benefit just as much,” she said. “So, bringing that to Kansas City would be amazing.”
She also hopes to help build new basketball courts in Kenya, giving the communities — and the girls in those communities — better facilities for playing basketball.
“To me, the sky's the limit for her,” Archer said. “Just seeing the growth that she's had over the last four years ... going from that shy, introverted kid to now leading a nonprofit organization is just crazy.”
To support Kessler’s cause, you can visit Hoops 4 Her’s website, follow @Hoops4Her on Instagram or donate via Venmo or PayPal.
“All donations go to helping make this camp possible next year in Kenya,” Kessler said, “so any support is appreciated, and I very much appreciate the support I've already gotten to help make this whole thing possible to begin with.”
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