By Charlie Ticotsky
On Saturday, August 3, the Metro Mayors Shannon Grant Coalition, an initiative facilitated by MAPC, held its sixth annual basketball tournament. The eight communities in the coalition — Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Quincy, Revere, Somerville, and Winthrop — each brought a team to the five-on-five tournament and one player to the three-point contest.
The games were competitive throughout the day, which wrapped up with Revere beating Everett in an exciting final game and a Cambridge player won the three-point contest. Participants and fans were entertained by a DJ throughout the tournament, and a “Dougie” contest even broke out during the pizza lunch.
The Shannon Grant is a state grant program, named after the late Senator Charlie Shannon, which provides funding to law enforcement and non-profit organizations dedicated to reducing gang and youth violence in our communities through a comprehensive model. The Metro Mayors Coalition is a group of Mayors and Municipal Managers dedicated to taking on issues of shared importance.
For the past seven years, Metro Mayors communities have applied together for Shannon Grant funding, recognizing that challenges surrounding youth and gang violence do not recognize municipal boundaries.
Special thanks to the many partner cities and organizations involved in planning and running the tournament, and especially to the City of Somerville and Mayor Curtatone for being generous hosts.
~ Charlie Ticotsky is a Specialist on MAPC’s Government Affairs team, where he focuses on developing and advancing the agency’s legislative and budgetary priorities. He does not know how to Dougie.