If you've made your way to this blog post, welcome to the Free Game Family! My name is Bre'ana Singleton, most call me Bre, you can too. I wanted to formally introduce myself and tell you a little bit about how Free Game came to be and what you can expect from us.
I first picked up a basketball after watching the notorious Michael Jordan film, Space Jam. It was love at first sight. I knew then at the age of 4 that the game of basketball would become an integral part of my life and it did. I would commit almost 20 years of my life to the game and it rewarded me for it. I got to travel the world, win national championships, be coached by a former NBA player, meet lifelong friends and mentors, and so much more. I made it all the way to the collegiate level, playing on the Women's Basketball team at the University of West Georgia where I graduated debt-free with a Mass Communications degree. I landed my dream job in radio shortly after graduation and everything was moving along smoothly.
And then...a global pandemic hit. Like billions of others across this Earth, I was affected. Being furloughed from my job gave me a lot of time. Time to relax, time to read, time to think, and time to observe. The world had shifted in a way that none of us have ever seen. Lives and jobs have been lost, livelihoods forever impacted. Sports stopped. Altogether. There were no games, no practices, no camps. Athletes at every level, amateur and professional, had to put the game on pause.
So I began to wonder about the future of those athletes. What would we do if we couldn't play? Who would we be? I knew who I was and was confident that I would be able to pivot out of the pandemic, even if it took away my dream job for good. But I knew that I was rare in that.
Enter, Free Game Program. I had the idea in 2018 for an organization that would work to develop the all-around student-athlete. However, the work I was doing in radio simply did not afford me the time to get it off the ground. But beautiful things were birthed out of this pandemic and I truly believe that Free Game is one of them.
So thank you for joining me on this journey to better our kids. It is our duty to remind them of their value as human beings first. Daughters, sons, creatives, professionals...people. Once we have developed the person, we can proceed to develop the athlete and prepare them to succeed, not only in their sport of choice, but in life.
I'll be posting progress reports on this blog! If you are a fan of our work and support our mission, I would ask that you share what we're doing with a student or parent whom it might benefit. Lastly, nonprofits survive and thrive through charitable giving. So, if you're able, please consider donating to our cause.
Thank you for reading! Let's get to WORK! www.blog.freegameprogram.com