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HELP A GREAT COACH

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Hello, my name is Shannon. I am starting this go fund me page to help my friend and mentor, Coach Deon Spear. Recently, his two-car family became a zero car family. Getting to work for himself and his wife and getting the kids to school and practices was hard enough with one car; now, it is impossible.
Coach Deon is the head youth basketball coach at the Jackie Robinson YMCA here in San Diego. This particular program is the best youth basketball program in San Diego. When other YMCAs or recreational leagues want to improve and grow their program, they come to the Jackie Robinson YMCA.
I knew none of this when I started as a volunteer coach a little over a year ago. This had been my dream: to be a youth basketball coach. There were many barriers to overcome- my complete lack of coaching experience for one. My complete lack of organized ball play for two. Then my age (I'm retired).... for three. The thing is, I'm a big fan of the game; I love working with kids, and I think sports participation is suitable for all kids, so I persisted. I found a website called Coaching Corps (now called Coaching Alliance), a nonprofit coordinating volunteer coaches for sports in underserved communities. I took their online training, studied their videos, and studied my own. Nothing was happening - I was getting ready to write letters to various organizations, and I received an email from the Jackie Robinson YMCA saying they were looking for volunteer basketball coaches! I was so excited I nearly lost my mind.

This is how I met Coach Deon. Here I am- with zero experience, and there is Coach Deon- years of coaching and playing experience at a high level. Of course, the other volunteer coaches were a thousand times more knowledgeable than me. Instead of ignoring me or getting frustrated, Coach Deon was kind and helpful. I spent nearly a year just assisting and learning from the best. Finally, last summer, Coach Deon and the athletic director Ferrari asked me if I was ready for a team, and I finally was.

I can't thank Coach Deon enough for helping me become a coach, but the real treat was/is seeing how he works with the kids and gets the best from them. He uses this great combination of discipline and humor. The kids feel cared for, noticed, and they want to learn. He is just as excellent and patient with the 7-year-old with autism as he is with the all-star player. He is dedicated to helping these kids succeed in life- basketball is the vehicle. He is an invaluable asset to these kids, this program, and this community, and for these reasons, I would like to help him get his car fixed or buy a new/used car.
Thank you for any help in this regard.




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    Organizer

    Shannon Rose
    Organizer
    San Diego, CA

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