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Congratulations to SOAR area resident Larry Okereke on receiving the Outstanding Partner Award from South Bend Venues Parks and Arts.
In presenting the award, Jonathan Jones, Director of Recreational Experiences said, "Since 2019 Larry has been an integral part of of the South Bend community, focusing on building trust, connections, and relationships with young men through basketball, especially with those who may have had legal issues in the past. In 2019 he partnered with South Bend Venues Parks and Arts to create the UB (Underground Basketball) League, which has since become a grant recipient under the City of South Bend Alive and Free initiative and has recorded upwards of 410 members as of 2021."
Larry's work with young men throughout South Bend through this program is greatly appreciated by us all. We are proud of Larry for the lives he has touched in our neighborhood as well as the whole city.
(From left to right: Park Board members Dan Farrell and Mark Neal with Larry Okereke and VPA Executive Director Aaron Perri)