KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County. Share your story idea with Tod.
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The Hoops 4 Her Tipoff, presented by the Female Athlete Club at Shawnee Mission East, is set for Saturday.
The charity skills competition will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. on Saturday in the gymnasiums at SM East High School, 7500 Mission Road in Prairie Village.
Proceeds will benefit Hoops 4 Her, a charity started by Lancers senior Fina Kessler to help empower girls in Kenya through basketball.
The two-person teams, which must consist of boys and girls aged 18 years old and younger, will compete for prizes in six different skills competitions, including three-point and free-throw shooting.
Local restaurants donated gift cards for the winners.
There is a $10 entry fee per team and Hoops 4 Her T-shirts will be available for purchase at the event, which culminates with a coaches’ scrimmage at 5:30 p.m.
Preregistration is available, but teams can also sign up the day of the event.
After raising money during the last basketball season, Kessler put on a five-day camp in early August at Moi University in Eldoret, Kenya.
She hopes to return for another camp next summer, but also has plans to expand Hoops 4 Her’s reach locally in the Kansas City region.
Kessler was inspired to start the nonprofit after visiting Kenya with her mom and noticing the lack of opportunity for girls in sports there.
“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 in September. “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.”
To support Kessler’s cause, you can visit Hoops 4 Her’s website, follow@Hoops4Her on Instagram, or donate via Venmo or PayPal.
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