Community Partners
With great pride, UFBA has partnered with Destined For Greatness (D4G), Hoop 'n Holla, and Good People Deserve Wins Too (GPDW2) to elevate and expand the programs we offer our athletes and the greater Rochester community!
Damon Garfield began the idea of Destined For Greatness while doing outreach for Youth Interventional Counseling for Pathways of Peace with the Rochester Mayor’s office in the early 2000s. Mainly focused on gang-behavior and transitional individuals, he used an intervention perspective rather than prevention. To expand his work with youth, Garfield created an AAU basketball league, leading to seven youth basketball teams in which he incorporated spiritual and moral values, while providing a positive outlet for children to engage in. This began the foundation of Destined For Greatness.
D4G trains, teaches, tutors, coaches, and advises area youth and adults in various vocations, athletics and arts, fitness and well-being, civic and community participation, and development. Its programs include youth athletic and wellness outings, conferences, and on-the-job training. To learn more about D4G and the impact they’ve had over the last 12 years, visit here.
Hoop ‘n Holla offers low to no cost basketball camps designed to build on the basketball hopes and dreams of as many youth as possible, offering them fundamental training that will maximize the viability of their pursuit of futures in the collegiate academics and athletics. Hoop ‘n Holla has deconstructed those aspects of basketball that give players a competitive advantage and introduces these aspects to campers in a way that shows their relativity to the sport itself. Whether athletically through skill and mechanics building with great emphasis on physical conditioning, academically through subjects such as English Language Arts, Math, and Science, or Wellness Awareness such as Nutrition, Social Justice, and Mental Health, Hoop ‘n Holla has been created to provide high-quality programming for youth interested in maximizing their abilities to garner opportunities through basketball that will impact their quality of life.
Founded by Nelly Epic, GPDW2 is a non-profit organization that provides financial assistance to youth and local sports teams, currently enrolled in athletic programs in and around Upstate New York. It was access to positive outlets and the people who cared that ultimately changed Nelly's life, and her goal is that GPDW2 is an extension of that same love and community.
The mission is to strengthen the community by empowering and enhancing youth by utilizing athletics to develop well rounded youth, both in mind and body, through mentoring, training, and health and fitness activities. The core values center around well- being, character and community. GPDW2 strives to be a change-agent by fostering excellence in the area of social well-being, character and community in urban and diverse communities, ensuring that their love and knowledge for sports broadens through both education and experience. GPDW2 creates opportunities for young athletes to reach their highest potential on and off the field.
The founding principles of GPDW2 are based on the belief that sports define discipline, teamwork and self-confidence. These principles empower individuals whether they pursue a career in professional sports or not. This is for LIFE.