Livonia Elks Lodge No. 2246 Sends Four SE Michigan District Winners to State Hoop Shoot Finals

Jan. 16, 2013 - PRLog -- Flat Rock, MI – The four Livonia representatives won in their respective age and gender categories, outshooting the competition from the Elks Lodges in southeast Michigan.

The Livonia winners are Shannon Butik (8 to 9 Year-old Girls Group);  Kimberly Freed  (10 to11Year-old Girls Group);  Gabriel Nazelli (10 to11 Year-old Boys Group); and, Nathan Micallef (12 to13Year-old Boys Group).      

The remaining two winners, are Koryn and Kaden Playfield, brother and sister from the Hillsdale Lodge No. 1575 in the12 to13 Year-old Girls Group and the 8 to 9 Year-old Boys Group, respectively.  

The Elks Hoop Shoot is open to all boys and girls, ages 8-13. Contestants are assigned an age-group based on the age that they will be on April 1.  There are two Hoop Shoot contest divisions, boys and girls, and three age categories (8 – 9, 10 – 11 and 12 – 13) in each division.

The Elks National Hoop Shoot Free Throw Contest is a co-educational youth basketball program sponsored by the Elks National Foundation. Of the millions of young people who participate and advance, six national champions are named. The winners of the national competition have their names inscribed on a plaque housed in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.

The Elks Hoop Shoot provides a unique, character-building and competitive program for all participants, regardless of their athletic ability or previous experience. The program provides children the opportunity to experience healthy competition, establish positive relationships with peers, and develop self-management skills that aid in achieving school and life success. Youth participate at a minimal expense to their parents or school and benefit from the involvement of their families and community members along the way.

The Elks is one of the oldest and largest fraternal organizations in the United States. Elks has a network of 2000 Lodges and nearly one million members. Elks invest in their communities through programs that help children grow up healthy and drug-free. They undertake projects that address the unmet needs of their communities and honor the service of our nation’s veterans. The Elks National Foundation seeks to build stronger communities. The foundation fulfills this pledge by investing in communities where Elks live and work. We provide tomorrow's leaders, our youth, with a healthy beginning; honor the Elks' pledge to never forget our veterans; help the state Elks associations accomplish their charitable objectives; and fund projects that improve the quality of life in local Elks communities.