City West Housing resident Bruce is a talented basketball player who is an active member of the local Inner City Basketball Club. He has also been selected as a junior development player for the Sydney Comets. This representative program competes across New South Wales and interstate.
Now in Year 9, Bruce was inspired to start playing basketball at a young age from watching his dad’s team compete in the local league. Bruce began playing at the age of five and now after playing for nine years, he is a well-known high performer in the Division 1 local competition. He is also a member of his school basketball team and was recognised for his excellent performance with a sports achievement award last year.
Bruce is one of 18 young people who received funding from our Aspire Education Fund. Launched last year, the fund supports young residents to stay in high school. Residents who have children who are in Years 7-10 can apply for up to $1,000 for each child to support their education, including for extracurricular activities in sport and the arts.
Ultimately, the program aims to empower young residents to chase and achieve their dreams through education.
“We were able to put the money we received this year from City West Housing towards Bruce’s dream of playing basketball at rep level,” said his mother Hepisipa.
“We’ve used the grant funds to help with costs related to Bruce travelling with the Comets to compete interstate last month. We’ve also been able to use some of the money to help pay for equipment.”
Bruce added, “I love playing basketball, but I know it’s expensive for my parents to pay for the registration fees, travel and all the gear I need to perform well. I have two other siblings and they have hobbies too, so the money we got just makes things a bit easier for my parents.”
Bruce’s younger brother Daniel, who is in Year 7, also received funding from the Aspire Education Fund to go towards tutoring to help him with maths.
