The Harlem Wizards Narrowly Defeat the Woodland Hills Wolverine Dream Team!
On Wednesday, May 11 at 6:30 PM at Woodland Hills High School, the Woodland Hills Foundation H.U.G.S. (the volunteer and community outreach arm of the Woodland Hills Foundation) welcomed the world-famous Harlem Wizards entertainment basketball team to Woodland Hills for a fun, fast-paced community event and fundraiser. The Harlem Wizards brand of “Trick Hoops & Alley Oops” entertainment basketball has been packing gyms across the globe for 50 years and on May 11, the Woodland Hills High School gymnasium was no exception!
The event, originally scheduled for March of 2020, had already enjoyed the support of numerous sponsors and fantastic ticket sales when Covid-19 disrupted plans. H.U.G.S. regrouped in 2021 but all Wizards games continued to remain cancelled until the team felt it was safe and socially responsible to return to the court. In January 2022, H.U.G.S. was given the green light!
The HUGS team went to work organizing in-school, day-of-the-event assemblies led by the Wizards themselves and recruiting players for the “Wolverine Dream Team”—a team made up of students, teachers, and staff in Woodland Hills High School.
While the Wizards put on a show with their highly anticipated slams, world-class tricks, precision teamwork and humor, the Wolverine Dream Team fought back with the tenacity and spirit of true Woodland Hills Wolverines! The real stars of the show were Dream Team High School seniors Jazmine “Dunnie” Dunn, Timothy “TJ” Jenkins, Del “Bones” Robinson and Deontae “Tae” Williams. As usual, the teachers and staff that made up the rest of the team were there to support and help showcase the talents of Woodland Hills students.
Woodland Hills School District is home to over 3,300 students and all funds raised from this event will go directly to supporting students and teachers right here in our community. Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, this one-night event helped raise over $4,000 in support of the Foundation’s programs and services. In fact, events like these cannot happen without the support of our friends and donors.
Thank you first and foremost to our friends at Hampton Inn Monroeville, our “Slam Dunk” Sponsor, for the first-class support and for treating our guests, The Wizards, like kings. Thanks also to our “Three Point” Sponsors, MiMi’s Kinder Connection and Rankin Christian Center. And thanks finally to our “Rebound” Sponsors, Dee’s Beauty Bar and Spa, Alice Herron, Former Turtle Creek Mayor Kelly Kelley and the Turtle Creek Police Department and Fatinma Olaleye, our hometown realtor at Howard Hanna Real Estate.
Finally, a huge thanks to all the volunteers at H.U.G.S. for their constant and continued support. When members of the Woodland Hills Community volunteer at H.U.G.S. events, it lets our students know that their community is invested in their potential.
The Harlem Wizards vs. The Wolverine Dream Team was the perfect opportunity to take time out to have some fun with students and staff while at the same time raising crucial funds in order to provide them with the resources of the Foundation to help them create a better future. As H.U.G.S. and the Woodland Hills Foundation begin work on an even bigger and better event in 2023, we hope we can continue to count on the Woodland Hills Community on you as a trusted partner in our efforts.
