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‘Jump ball’ for District 18 CEC

Brooklyn parents are giving children a reason to run, jump and play.

District 18’s Community Education Council (CEC), a volunteer group of parents advocating for schools in East Flatbush and Canarsie, is organizing a series of athletic and family-friendly events.

By hosting the events, which are currently in the early planning stages, the CEC aims to promote the council and provide children with positive experiences that would teach them the importance of success, thereby encouraging academic success.

At the CEC’s meeting last week, held in the District 18 office at 1106 East 95th Street, council members discussed several events on the table, including a basketball tournament, track and field competition, and a regular game and movie night for families.

Council member Derek Booker, who is leading the creation of the basketball tournament, said it would be a “district-wide basketball tournament between our children.”

The event would serve to “raise the morale of our district, bring the children, parents and community closer,” Booker said.

Booker is currently in talks with community leaders willing to donate money to support the tournament. The money would be used for team shirts, trophies, and fees for referees.

There would be little cost to the council.

“For the CEC,” he said, “monies will be nominal.”

Rhonda Joseph, the CEC’s recording secretary, is planning a family game and movie night, which would be held on a regular monthly basis.

The event would be free of charge and open to parents and students of all schools in District 18. Each month, it would be held at a different school in the district to make the night convenient for families.

While the goal is to eventually have major companies like Mattel donate board games, in the early months, parents would be encouraged to bring or donate their own games.

The evenings would be “something fun, something free,” Joseph said.

They would also publicize the CEC in hope of attracting more parents to the council’s monthly meetings.

The family game and movie night would “raise awareness of the CEC and the services they provide,” Joseph explained.

The CEC has already set a date for its Track and Field Day – June 4, 2009. The CEC is currently seeking donations and volunteers for the competition.

To contribute to any of the events the CEC is organizing, contact the council at 718-566-6037.