34 Ways to Assist

New Jersey Nets Guard Devin Harris 34 Ways to Assist

April 23rd, 2010

By: Alexis O’Shea

Back SportsPage.com sat down with Devin Harris of the New Jersey Nets to discuss his charitable endeavors.   The ex-Wisconsin Badger was the #5 draft pick of the Washington Wizards in 2004 and was immediately traded to the Dallas Mavericks. In 2008, he was traded to New Jersey for future Hall of Famer Jason Kidd.  Harris has been active in the community in both places as well as in Wisconsin, his home state.  Harris spoke openly with Alexis O’Shea about the upcoming projects and goals of his 34 Ways to Assist Foundation.

Q: Can you tell us about the 34 Ways to Assist Foundation?

A: When I initially entered the NBA, I was lucky enough to join a great organization in Dallas.  I saw the Mavericks running camps and other events and wanted to contribute as well.  Now in New Jersey, I can use the experiences from both Dallas and my childhood to try and make a difference.

You have to focus on making an impact. The first program we became involved with was the Make a Wish Foundation.  While we didn’t have a direct contact, I saw the impact the foundation had on one of my childhood friends who had been diagnosed with cancer.  I liked the idea of helping children’s wishes to come true, especially while they are going through such a tough transition in their life.

The second program is the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. We didn’t have a direct connection, but I had a mentor growing up who played basketball in our area and went to my high school. He had already gone through many of the things I was trying to figure out. He was a mentor through both college and going to the NBA. I saw the direct correlation to the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. I started working directly with these foundations and have remained as active as my schedule would allow.

Q: Why did you use kids as the centerpiece of your foundation?

A: Kids are an important part of our future. You see so many kids falter because they don’t have any  direction or a stable environment. I saw this first hand and wanted to be involved whether in Milwaukee, Dallas or New Jersey.  We want to provide an environment where kids can feel safe. It’s not only about basketball. These clinics have a dual purpose, to raise money for charity as well as to educate kids on a variety of topics.

Q: Do you have a staff that works with you on these projects?

A: Yes, we have a staff that works with us. We run an AAU camp out of Milwaukee. It’s a clinic adapted from camps which I attended when I was younger. At most of these camps, the expectation is that you will only play basketball.  With our camp, we spend a lot of time on education.  We started preparing the children for college and have them work on educational projects often beyond what is offered in city schools.  The goal is for the kids to have fun with these projects since nobody really wants to spend the summer in school.  In addition, the campers participate in other sports such as golf and  track.

Q: Who is the camp geared towards?

A: The camp is for low risk kids who can’t afford to go the basketball camps in the area. We run a separate camp for challenged children in Madison.

Q: Do you remember any particular event that made you want to start giving back into the community?

A: It started in elementary school with an event called high interest day.  People from different fields would discuss their jobs with kids.  I appreciated it then and went back as a high school student.    I connected and communicated well with the kids because I am just a big kid at heart.  I was able to relate to the challenges that they were going through. They see me as someone who is successful and want to know how to find that path.

Q: Do you think your talent that you have on the court matches your amount of passion you give back to kids?

A: I think so. Everybody has a purpose and I am in a blessed enough position to help and give back to those less fortunate. This is not  hard work -  it comes quite natural to me.

Q: Where can they find more information about the camps and other events?

A: You can find the most current information on these events on my website, www.devin34harris.com. We also send out mailings. The camp is held in Milwaukee over a four day time period and features the previously mentioned activities.  While many sponsors of such camps will come for limited periods of time, I will be there from start to finish.

Q: Have you thought about expanding your foundation to other parts of the country?

A: We have, but Milwaukee is first and foremost since it’s both where I grew up and near where I went to college.   We are looking to expand more into New Jersey as well as Dallas, where I started my career and currently spend my offseason.

Q: What type of advice can you give kids who have been told that they can’t do something?

A: . You are going to have doubters throughout your life but if you use that doubt for motivation,   you can achieve greatness.  When both my high-school and college coaches stated their doubts, I used both for motivation.   Furthermore, when you finally reach those goals, it becomes even more satisfying.

Q: How was your relationship with your former college coach Bo Ryan?

A: He was great from day one.  Coach would use real life to help teach basketball, which I really admire.  He was great at relating basketball to the real world. An example of that is a story about how one of his old players used to chase around screens.  Later in life as a firefighter, he would use those skills to maneuver through a burning house.   I remember that story to this day.

For more information about Devin Harris’s 34 Ways to Assist Foundation, please visit www.devin34harris.com.