Friends help illuminate Chesy center

CHESAPEAKE — It’s proving to be a win-win situation for the Chesapeake Community Center and those who use the recreational facility.

That’s what happened when Chris Hunt, a basketball coach, went to center director Ruth Damron about the possibility of starting a basketball camp.

“Two others guys and I wanted to give these kids something to do over the summer,” said Hunt, who coaches Biddy Basketball. “I went to her and asked if I could start a basketball school. I would like to be able to get some stuff done, like paint on the walls, new backboards and new lights.”

That’s when Damron told him that the center had recently had an anonymous donation of $1,200 that paid for eight LED lights. Only problem there was no one to put them up in the gym.

So Hunt rallied some forces and got friends to spend this past Saturday morning bringing light to the center.

“I am so excited,” Damron said. “The lights were so bad you couldn’t see the whole east end of the building. If you turned them off, it took 45 minutes for them to come back on. When he came in to talk to me about the basketball camp, he took the bull by the horns.”

Joining Hunt on Saturday were Scott Jackson, Seth Jones, Ryan Taylor, Brad Meredith, Rick Spence, Lee Helms, Tyler Morris, Les Wilson and Phil Jackson.

Now all the money raised from the instructional basketball camp Hunt says will go back to the center for improvements.

“That is our kids. That is our community,” Hunt said. “When it is raining outside, I want them to have a nice place to go and play basketball.”

The camp, scheduled to start March 28, is open to youth from the age of 5 to eighth grade. There will be five weekly sessions, meeting every Monday for about 90 minutes. If there is the demand, Hunt will scheduled other sessions. Cost of the camp is $60.

“There will be no charge for the equipment,” he said. “The Chesapeake Biddy League president is going to donate basketballs. I am going around to get donations and have a T-shirt for every kid.”

Registration for the camp is March 26 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the center.

Damron also has other improvements for the gym in her game plan as soon as she can raise the necessary funds.

“Right now, I am waiting on people to give me estimates to put new windows in and ultimately to put a new floor in,” she said.