Over the past two years, the nonprofit, Full Court Peace, has grown financially and in its outreach. This would not have been possible without the support of Grace Farms Foundation and facility of Grace Farms.
Five years ago, I initiated a program to unite locally disadvantaged youth with their more affluent neighbors in Fairfield County through basketball. At first a once-per-year event, Grace Farms helped make this a year-round occurrence. Their administration made for a smooth, professional and thorough application process for the kids to use the facility, and their staff supported me as I put together various programs that worked toward our mission.
Grace Farms is indeed a shared space for all to enjoy. After growing up in Fairfield County, I know the reality of the segregation that plagues our local communities. Here, it‘s not normal for diverse communities to interact with each other. Instead, families are isolated, segregated based on their access to resources.
June 20th was World Refugee Day, an opportunity for the residents of this country to reach out to newly arrived refugees. Full Court Peace was humbly able to run a basketball clinic with New Canaan middle school boys and an equal number of newly resettled refugees, supported by the International Institute of Connecticut. With the programming support of Grace Farms, the Syrian, Eritrean and Congolese kids who came to play will never forget it or the new friends they made. I am sure this program, too, will grow — and only at a place like Grace Farms.
Mike Evans
Founder and Director, Full Court Peace
I don’t know of any other town with a resource like Grace Farms. It is part of what makes New Canaan great.