This post is also available in:
Spanish
On Monday the 15th of July 2013, Alonzo Mourning, American former professional basketball player, who played almost his entire 16 year career with the Miami Heat, stopped by the Fundación MIR to meet, greet and shoot hoops with some of the Fundación MIR students!
Taking a little time out of his Casa de Campo vacation, Alonzo, having already played a round of golf that morning, joined the Fundación MIR students at the basketball court at the MIR Esperanza campus in La Romana. Taking part in the special activity was the school’s avid basketball fans and players – but only those who had achieved good grades throughout the year. Lyanne Azqueta, President of the Fundación MIR, who has been friends with Alonzo since her days at Georgetown University, explained that these kind of special activities were reserved for only the best students, to emphasize the importance of academic excellence.
Before playing with the students, Mourning reinforced this same sentiment himself. By speaking about his own career, as well as his current role as vice-president of player development and programs for the Miami Heat, in which he works closely with Lebron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, Mourning was able to reiterate the importance of education.
“The dedication you need is no different from in the classroom, if you want to do well in the classroom you’ve got to make sacrifices, you’ve got to study and work hard. One day the ball stops bouncing. When you have to retire from the game, you have to rely on your education to continue to work and take care of your family. The most important thing in life is being able to communicate and if you’re not educated you can’t communicate. Reading, writing and socialising are the most important – because relationships are a big part of life.”— Alonzo Mourning, former NBA basketball player for the Miami Heat
Next, Alonzo challenged 3 of the school’s most talented players to a “shoot-off”, in which all 4 players shot hoops from different points on the court – the boys did great, but with more than 16 years professional experience it was no surprise that Alonzo won in the end!
Alonzo Mourning with the students of the Fundación MIR
Before returning to Casa de Campo, Alonzo made a pledge to donate new sneakers to all the players present, posed for photos and also gave Casa de Campo Living a brief interview.
@cdcliving: What do you enjoy about Casa de Campo?
It’s an amazing environment, a relaxing environment, the people are beautiful, the food is amazing, the hospitality is second to none, and I love playing golf. Casa de Campo has a lot of different options when it comes to golf courses and beautiful scenery. With that type of combination it allows me to create somewhat of a refuge to come here and relax and enjoy myself and get away from all the other responsibilities that I may have.
@cdcliving: So when you come here to escape, why do you always take time to visit the Fundación MIR?
I was a kid once. I wouldn’t be here without someone else’s contribution, I’m very fortunate and blessed to have a lot of individuals in my life, who contributed to my well being. For that reason it is a great pleasure to do the same for these young boys, and this organization.
Alonzo Mourning also mentioned his friend “MJ” (Michael Jordan), who earlier this year celebrated his bachelor party in Casa de Campo, hinting that the uber-famous basketball player enjoyed his time in the Casa de Campo resort so much he was already planning to return… fingers crossed!
Fundación MIR
The Fundación MIR is a non-profit organization which works to provide education to the children of the greater La Romana area, who are most in need. They run 3 schools; the MIR Esperanza (boys vocational school), the Escuela Tecnica Vocacional Fundación MIR (girls vocational school) and the Primaria MIR (infants school). Click HERE to read more about the Fundación MIR!