Former Student Athlete and Fordham Women’s Basketball Staff Member Helps Build Basketball Court for At Risk Girls in Eswatini, Africa

Photo by : Samantha Ferrara

With a mom who was a basketball coach, Clare Berenato was obviously drawn to the sport and played to a pretty high level Seton Hill University in Pennsylvania. Over the years, the student/athlete came to understand that basketball serves as pretty good teacher in areas like communication, teamwork, and building community. So when the Women's Basketball Director of Administration at Fordham got the chance to volunteer for a nonprofit called Play BOLD and take part in building a basketball court for marginalized girls in Eswatini (Swaziland), the decision was an easy slam dunk. But regardless of the wide range of possibility sports provide in terms of academics and life lessons, she prefers to narrow the purview of the June 2019 installation at Hosea’s Heart.

“They just get to be normal kids, and now have a safe place to play,” said Berenato.

A sentiment we can easily taken for granted here, but all the more important according to the mission statement of the the Wisconsin based nonprofit. “Hosea’s Heart exists to empower the girls of Eswatini to achieve freedom from sexual abuse and hope for a better future by serving their physical, emotional and spiritual needs through a holistic, restorative process,” says the website.

Berenato got connected through her old college coach and again honed in the feelings as to what has drawn her into helping others. “Service has always been important to me so I’d be giving back and being a service leader is something I always wanted to be,” said Berenato.

She can easily trace the caring back to her mom. “My mom coached not only on the court but off the court as well,” said Berenato, and community building was never out of bounds.

The giveback playbook of Fordham Women’s Basketball Coach Stephanie Gaitley also played a part, where Berenato doubled as Special Assistant. So the offer from Play BOLD put all the gratitude in her court, and there was no double dribble when it came to using her connections in the college basketball community. “I reached out to different teams and coaches,” said Berenato, and got the fundraising off the ground.

Those efforts raised the necessary $10,000, and once all the travel and administrative logistics were worked out, Berenato and her team embarked for Africa. “It’s an amazing country and has people who are super welcoming,” she said.

The kindness, of course, extends to the kids. “They were an incredible group of girls,” said Berenato.

She also cherished the opportunity to both build the court with the kids and provide life lesson classes. But the actual landscape that awaited the Play BOLD team wasn’t quite so forgiving. “The ground was supposed to be leveled before we got there, but it wasn’t,” said Berenato.

The oversight thus set the ten day project back and threw a wrench into the timing of the cement pour. On the other hand, the mix up provided the first proof that basketball is a pretty teacher.

The Play BOLD team and the Hosea’s Heart staff and students had to really dig in to level off. "We all had to work together,” said Samantha who’s a student Hosea’s.

The cement down, the paint applied and the lines drawn has not seen the unity wear off, though. “I saw girls who don't normally play together have great moments of laughter and shared experiences on that court,” said Mary-Kate Martin, President of Hosea’s Heart.

The court going 24-7 - no matter the weather - has Emily agreeing. “We became closer as sisters, and we are now unified and exercise on the court every day,” said the young student.

The foundation has no limits either, according to Martin. ”The seeds of that court will bare fruit in the restoration of lives for many girls both now and in the years to come,” said Martin. “Who knew a cement slab could be SO important.”

For her part, Berenato once again stayed closer to the moment “We planted the seeds for hope and fun and laughter,” she reflected.

But if the experience didn’t change Bernardo in terms of her long standing commitment to service, the endeavor did refocus it and had her leaving Fordham. “I am extremely grateful for all the opportunities Coach Gaitley provided me with over the years. However, I left Fordham in July to pursue passions outside of college athletics, which includes the service aspect that I am so passionate about,” said Berenato.

No yet landing a position, only good things can come.

https://hoseasheart.org

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