Girls Living In Shelters, Foster Care Attend Basketball Clinic

MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS, NY — More than 100 girls living in homeless shelters and in foster care participated in a free basketball clinic at Columbia University last week on International Women's Day. The clinic was organized by Columbia, the nonprofit EvenFooting and the city Department of Homeless Services.

Girls were given the opportunity to work on their skills through drills, scrimmages and training exercises lef by Columbia University Women's Basketball head coach Megan Griffith, city officials said. Girls with higher skill levels were also given court space for pick up games.

The event also feature a speech from Department of Homeless Services Administrator Joslyn Carter, who focused on providing dedicated spaces and programming for girls to develop leadership skills.

"Every day we help families facing challenges get back on their feet—and for young girls experiencing homelessness, that means increasing access to opportunities that help them succeed," Carter said in a statement. "By providing dedicated spaces and programming, as well as teaming up with community partners such as Evenfooting and Columbia University, we are helping our youngest homeless neighbors develop leadership skills and improving quality of life."

The basketball clinic was organized by the nonprofit organiztion EvenFooting. The nonprofit is dedicated to the empowerment of girls through sports, according to its website. The organization visits shelters throughout the year and hosts an annual sports event.

The Manhattan District Attorney's office also helped run the event and sign girls up for a free 10-week basketball program through its Saturday Night Lights initiative. The initiative provides free sports and fitness training throughout the year at 12 locations in Manhattan.

Check out more photos from the event below:

Photos courtesy NYC Department of Homeless Services