“What’s up, Centretown Ottawa?
My name is William Davenport, and I’m the founder of Willpower Basketball.
On Friday nights in Centretown, located at 440 Albert Street, I run a program on Friday nights called Willpower Youth Night.
From 6 to 8 p.m., I target kids 13 to 17 years old to play the game that they love free of charge.
The purpose of the program is to promote the importance of mental health.
As kids show up, they get a sense of community, they get a sense of support, and some mentorship.
So when kids show up to Willpower Youth Night, what they can expect first thing they do when they walk in is they see me.
So they get greeted by me and my volunteers that be alongside me.
We’ll introduce the program, talk about the purpose of what we’re doing, and then we’ll play some basketball.
And like I mentioned before, these are intentional runs, so we’re here to help the kids get better.
So for new kids that are new to basketball, or kids that have a lot more experience, everybody’s welcome to get involved in the community and be involved in the program.
So the big thing that I like to push is I run this program free of charge, where I take care of all the expenses for the gym and kids all they have to do is show up and play the game that they love.
I want to make sure that kids get something to take home.
So if you perform well with your MVP, the defensive player, or the hustle award, I always make sure to give prizes at the end of the night, whether it be jerseys, gift cards from local businesses in downtown Ottawa, or anything that anybody’s going to donate to the program.
Over the last six years, I’d say there’s been in the high hundreds, close to a thousand kids that have been involved in that program altogether.
So to contact me, you can reach me on Instagram, @willpower.basketball
You can free send me a DM if you have any questions about the program or want to get involved, whether you want to volunteer or donate, I’m open to any support that you guys are willing to give me.”
William Davenport
Mentor
@willpower.basketball
