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o wonder the boys and girls at risk of social exclusion who participated in this basketball meeting entered the Palacio de Deportes —now WiZink Center— super excited, waving their little hands in the air: not every day one has a stadium of this category at their disposal to enjoy the magic of basketball.
At the meeting, organized by Obra Social "la Caixa" and the ACB League, there was room for surprises. And it is that those in charge of having fun with the kids were the very players and coaches of Real Madrid and Movistar Estudiantes. Stars like Trey Thompkins or Melwin Pantzar and coach Javier Zamora played and interacted with each of the children as if they were one more of their team. In fact, it was amusing to see how the children stood on tiptoes to reach the players and, these, squatted to get closer to the children. A gesture as natural as it was significant, a symbol of the meeting point and community that the Palacio de Deportes became.
Be that as it may, the true guests of honor were the little ones. With their multicolored tracksuits and their caps from the CaixaProinfancia program —of which both entities are part— they were the true owners of the court. Three times shorter than the players but just as passionate, they ran from basket to basket, took home their signed jerseys and were even interviewed by the commentator of the Copa del Rey de Baloncesto, which has had the sponsorship of CaixaBank for the fifth consecutive year. "For children in more disadvantaged situations, days like these are very important because they allow them to get out of their daily routine and experience very special moments," comments Javier Doval, coordinator of Pinardi.
"Basketball teaches you that everyone is always welcome, that it doesn't matter where you're from, how old you are, or whether you're a boy or a girl: you'll always have teammates to do things with," says Ludde Hakanson, a Swedish player who has made Movistar Estudiantes his second home. And the scene proves him right: there are children who an hour ago didn't even know each other hugging and sharing the same joy together.
"A day like this for them is an encouragement, an experience that strengthens them mentally to keep fighting and growing," says Víctor Arteaga, center for Movistar Estudiantes. Lola Mesa, coordinator of the Chapuzón socio-educational project of the Valsé Foundation in the Tetuán neighborhood, takes the same stance when she states that, in the end, what she enjoys most is "seeing how, year after year, children improve their social skills or their academic results." The other day, the kids became basketball players for an afternoon. Tomorrow they can be anything they want to be.
Text: Patri Di Filippo Photography: Laura Carrascosa
You can read more stories like these in ALMA, the social social network, a digital space dedicated to the social sphere that offers a new perspective on the present and future of society, from an optimistic and diverse voice, and all the initiatives promoted by "la Caixa" Social Project.
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