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Oneway Lions Mentoring & Athletic Program is hosting a community car wash and barbecue fundraiser on Dec. 12 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will be held at the Kiwanis Thrift Store, 15 Homestead Road, South, in Lehigh Acres.

The non-profit basketball program, which began in 2019 with the ultimate goal to provide something accessible for the youth in Lehigh Acres who wanted to play basketball, but couldn’t afford a travel team.

“We originally began in 2019 with three individuals and that quickly morphed it into a 7th grade basketball team. Traveling basketball can be expensive with uniforms, cost of tournaments and a hotel because most of these tournaments are two-day events,” Oneway Lions Organizer and Coach Dustin Gollopp said.

Gollopp wanted to find a way to make their dream become possible, so he came up with fundraising that would off-set the costs.

“I wanted to make this affordable, so these kids could have the opportunity to play at a competitive level,” explained Gollopp.

Gollopp, who has a background in mental health, has spent the majority of his career working with youth, predominantly in lower income areas where the need is greater.

“Helping others helps you in a sense. I saw there was not much here in Lehigh for the youth to be involved in and I wanted to find a program that both offered mentoring and a chance for these kids to play travel basketball at a competitive level,” he continued.

Oneway now offers four teams:

– Ninth-grade boys team

– Eighth-grade boys and girls teams

– Fifth-grade co-ed team

Oneway also offers a free basketball clinic for kids ages 9 to 17, at any skill level.

The clinic is held every Wednesday at Veterans Park Recreation Center. Clinics for ages 9-13 runs from 6:15 p.m. to 7:15 p.m., and ages 14 to 17 from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.

During the clinics, young players learn game rules, dribbling, scoring, player positions, shooting, rebounding, defense, passing, strategies, jumping and getting into shape.

To learn more about the program or sign up, visit Lee County Parks events: Veterans Park and Recreation Center (leegov.com)

Coach Gollopp also serves locally as the vice president of Kiwanis of Lehigh Acres, and director of youth activities.

“We try to make sure the kid members at the schools stay active within the community. Currently we have K Kids (elementary), Builders Club (middle school), and Key Club (high school). Our program does outreach in the community and collaborations with other organizations including Christ United Church and other organizations. We organize local clean-ups each month on Beth Stacey and Bell Boulevard,” Gollopp said.

The Oneway Basketball team will hold its next tournament, and compete in the YBOA, Jan. 22 and 23 at Veterans Park.