Robinson Gardens Youth Group
RG Youth Group gets courtside seats at hoops game
It doesn’t get much better than VIP seats on the floor at a championship basketball game.
And that is exactly what happened to seven members of SHA’s Youth Group at Robinson Gardens Apartments, courtesy of tickets donated by Comcast.
The young men and women were lucky enough to get the oversized, laminated tickets for the March 19 MIAA state championship game held at the Mass Mutual Center in downtown Springfield.
The game featured the Division 1 high school players from St. John’s of Shrewsbury and Cambridge Rindge and Latin School.
The game had everything that makes being at an athletic event great: talent, action, competition, a prize worth fighting for, and, of course, good food and beverages.
Robinson Gardens Youth Group members James Scott, Chris Ortiz and Dwayne Johnson had a great time at the MIAA Division 1 basketball championship game in Springfield, thanks to VIP tickets from Comcast.
“It was so much fun,” said Chris Ortiz, who is 14 and an 8th grader at Kennedy Middle School.
“The seats were great. We were right on the floor, we could see everything. I’m so glad Comcast gave us the tickets,” he added, echoing the grateful sentiment that all participants spoke aloud.
And the food? The memory made Chris smile. “I bought nachos with melted cheese, a soda, and Sour Patch Kids.”
SHA’s Youth Engagement Coordinator Jimmie Mitchell said the group was delighted to get the complimentary tickets from Comcast, and loved everything about the game.
“The game was great,” Mitchell said. “None of us had ever had seats that good. We really got treated like royalty, and the kids got a nice exposure to a competitive high school game.”
Longtime Youth Group member Stacey Sands also took delight in the speed, accuracy and excitement of the game. The floor seats afforded them an easy view of every bit of the action, she noted.
“I was rooting for the Cambridge team, and they won,” said Sands, who will soon be graduating at Springfield Technical Community College. She aims to pursue a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice at Westfield State University.
“Being right on the floor was great,” she noted. “We could see everything.”
Robinson Gardens Youth Group member Stacey Sands also loved the game courtesy of Comcast.
Indeed, Cambridge Rindge and Latin won by a score of 66-51, making them MIAA Division 1 state champions for the year.
Comcast Sharon Codeanne, director of government and regulatory affairs at Comcast’s Western New England region, said the company was happy to give the tickets to the Youth Group and thrilled to hear the game was such a hit.
“As a sponsor of the “Road to Springfield” 2016 MIAA Basketball Tournament, Comcast was excited to provide tickets to the games to the Robinson Gardens Youth Group,” Codeanne said. “Comcast believes in giving back to the communities we serve and we are very happy that these deserving students were able to enjoy the games and festivities associated with the tournament.”
All those from the youth group agreed that the Comcast donation was much appreciated. Even weeks after the game, they still have their VIP tickets – complete with lanyards – that gave them the high quality access to floor seats.
“I’ve never been to a big game like that, and being so close was nice,” said Dwayne Johnson, who is 15.
“We all appreciated it. Hopefully we’ll get to go back next year,” he added.
The VIP tickets were laminated and on lanyards, courtesy of Comcast.
James Scott, who is 16, said the action was amazing, and the views spectacular, thanks to the seats.
“We all had a blast,” he said. “We couldn’t believe how close we were.”
Mitchell’s group meets weekday afternoons when school is out. Besides tutoring and homework help, the group features weekly speakers, usually professionals from Springfield who talk about setting and reaching goals, and occasional field trips such as the basketball tickets sponsored by Comcast.
