Hi, I’m Leonard H. Adams, and I’m reaching out to you to support California Youth Empowerment's "Hoops After Dark" program. This incredible initiative provides a safe space for young people to engage in sports while building valuable life skills. Your generosity can make a significant difference in their lives.

When the sun goes down in Long Beach, the streets get harder for a kid to navigate. That is exactly when our gym lights come on.

Hoops After Dark began because inner-city gang violence in Long Beach was taking far too many lives, and something had to be done. Coach Leonard Adams opened a gym at night and offered young people something simple: a safe place, a ball, a team, and adults who show up for them, every session, without fail.

More than 1,200 young people between the ages of 6 and 25 have come through our doors. We are California Youth Empowerment Services, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, EIN 92-2756256, and we have been doing this work in this community for years.

What happens in our gym

We run basketball training year-round — spring, winter, and summer — alongside skills camps, workshops, and educational programs. We provide sports certification training for young people who want to build a future in athletics. And we host community games like our LBPD vs. LBHAD All-Stars matchup, where Long Beach police officers and our players meet on a court instead of on a street corner. The Long Beach Mayor and City Council have recognized this work, and local press has covered it.

But recognition does not pay the gym fee.

What your donation actually pays for

Every dollar you give goes directly into the program:

Gym and custodian fees — the single biggest cost of running a program after dark

Referees and scorekeepers, so games are safe, fair, and real

Uniforms, so every kid walks in looking like they belong on a team

Food, because some of our players have not eaten since school lunch

Year-round skills camps and certification training

Workshops and educational resources

$___covers a uniform for one player. $___ pays a referee for a full night of games. $___ keeps the gym open for one evening.

Why now

Every night we cannot open the gym is a night a kid has nowhere to go. We are raising $10,000 to keep our doors open through this season — and every contribution, at any amount, moves us closer.

If you cannot give, share this page. If you are local, come to a game. And if you have ever had one adult who gave you somewhere to be, you already understand exactly what we are trying to do here.

Thank you for standing with Long Beach's young people.

— Coach Leonard H. Adams, Founder, Long Beach Hoops After Dark