Gil Basketball Academy Student Spotlight Roberto Mendoza

A freshman at Alisal High School, Roberto Mendoza has already mapped out his future.

Salinas, CA, May 10, 2020 - A freshman at Alisal High School, Roberto Mendoza has already mapped out his future. He has selected a particular path that requires hard work and discipline — not the easy one that often leads to a deadend.

He’s learned such wisdom on the court as a member of Gil Basketball Academy that provides structure and a sense of belonging.

“There are people who don’t believe in me, trying to lure me into problems such as drugs,” he said. “These problems helped me to be myself, and not try to fit in with others. It has taught me to not be scared to be different.”

The 5-foot-4 point guard has been a member of GBA for nine years. In both 7th and 8th grade he was part of the Monterey County All Star Team, earning the Hustle Award one season. His first year at AHS he won Most Outstanding Award, as the team finished with a 24-0 record.

“Basketball has not only helped me become physically stronger, but also mentally,” he said. “It taught me to be a leader, and to be able to collaborate with others well. Basketball has helped me to stay off the streets, and to motivate myself to become better at everything I do.”

Mendoza calls GBA “a safe spot, and a family for me,” with coaches and parents who care about him as a person, not just a player.

“It has taught me to help others, and to become a leader, and not follow in the wrong footsteps,” he said.

GBA has opened lifelong friendships that Mendoza treats as family. “The people in this academy support me, and always motivate me and help me stay on track with sports, and also education,” he said.

Mendoza’s future plans after high school include attending a four-year college, and continuing to play the sport he loves. “I want to earn a scholarship to play basketball, and help me pay for college,” he said.

Mendoza sees education as his key to success in life.

“Education will help me obtain a better lifestyle as I grow into the person I will become,” he said. “It’s my main priority in life because it will lead my path to success.”

Mendoza doesn’t exactly know what his future holds, but he believes that he will lean on the lessons learned through GBA.

“They help you to not only learn important life skills, but to give back to our community,” he said. “It has taught me to be respectful and humble with others off and on the court.”

Basketball, truly, has changed his life.

“If I did not play basketball I wouldn’t be the person I am today,” he said. “I wouldn’t be as motivated to become a better person. It has also taught me to face the barriers, and to surpass them.”

Contact:
Marci Bracco Cain
Chatterbox PR
Salinas, CA 93901
(831) 747-7455
https://gilbasketballacademy.com/

Gil Basketball Academy MVP Spotlight Isaiah Regalado

Isaiah Regalado has developed astounding basketball skills as a member of Gil Basketball Academy, but the MVP is just as proud of the life skills he’s learned along the way.

Salinas, CA, May 07, 2020 - Isaiah Regalado has developed astounding basketball skills as a member of Gil Basketball Academy, but the MVP is just as proud of the life skills he’s learned along the way.

The Alisal High School freshman earned the MVP award this past season as a 6-foot shooting guard. He also earned a scholar athlete honor for maintaining a GPA of 3.5 or higher.

“Playing basketball has helped me a lot in life with being able to manage my time with school and homework,” Regalado said. “It has also helped me by becoming more responsible in making sure that I am at practice on time or have all my right gear for the games.”

Born in San Jose, Regalado moved to Salinas in the third grade, attending Spreckels Elementary and later Buena Vista Middle School.

One obstacle he’s overcome is the stress of choosing a high school. While all of his classmates and friends ended up at Salinas High School, Regalado decided to attend Alisal High instead. “This was a hard choice because I only knew a couple of people who would be going there, but wasn’t close to any of them,” he said. “However, I felt Alisal was the best fit for me.”

Regalado, 14, recognizes a built-in support system around him, including his uncles, aunt, grandparents and especially his mom.

His family, and also GBA, has helped Regalado learn the value of an education. “An education will help you grow in life and I prioritize it before anything else,” he said. “Having an education can increase the number of job opportunities you have once done.”

After high school, Regalado wants to attend a 4-year university and study law.

Beyond stressing education, Regalado said GBA has taught him how to become a better person in life and to be more responsible.

“They have taught me the importance of giving back to the community, by helping out at their academy, teaching kids how to play the game of basketball, which I’m so passionate about,” he said.

Regalado has been playing basketball since age 8 (competitively since the age of 11), and he also enjoys playing baseball and golf. But he’s learned there is life outside of sports.

“This academy has helped me meet a lot of new people and strive to be a better person. All of their coaches/mentors are so encouraging and sincerely want the best for each one of their athletes.”

His favorite GBA memory is attending a world tour to Mexico. “That was an awesome experience,” he said. “We learned a lot about the history of places we visited, and to play basketball there was an experience I will never forget.”

Contact:
Marci Bracco Cain
Chatterbox PR
Salinas, CA 93901
(831) 747-7455
https://www.gilbasketballacademy.com/

Incite Creative Shines the Spotlight on Flickering Treasures

Upcoming Photo Book Receives a $10,000 Matching Grant

Baltimore, MD, September 29, 2012 - We remember stars like Clark Gable, Will Rogers, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, whose names appeared on the marquees of our local movie houses, but what about the theaters that made these stars larger than life? The neon signs proclaiming the Stanley, Century, Royal, Forest, Arcade and Broadway are long gone, and the experience of seeing a movie in a gilded setting with velvet curtains is but a fleeting memory for most Baltimoreans. Photographer Amy Davis is bringing our beloved cinemas back to life in her upcoming photo book, “Flickering Treasures: Rediscovering Baltimore’s Forgotten Movie Theaters,” to be published in the fall of 2014.

“Flickering Treasures” combines rare black and white pictures with Amy’s fine art photography to tell the story of these motion picture meccas where movie-goers flocked to escape their daily lives. The quality of Amy’s photos reflects her award-winning work as a photojournalist at The Baltimore Sun. Reminiscences from Barry Levinson, John Waters and others prove that our magnificent movie palaces and humble nickelodeons have vanished from our lives, but not our imagination. These photos and stories celebrating 50-plus theaters tell a fresh story of Baltimore City in the 20th century.

Amy has partnered with Creative Alliance, Inc, a 501(c)3 nonprofit arts organization, to be the financial sponsor for “Flickering Treasures.” Thus far, they have raised over half of the $45,000 required to get the book to print. To help further raise awareness, donations, and inspire advocacy, Amy contacted Incite Creative, a marketing and graphic design firm.

Incite took a multi-channel approach by creating a direct mail design for postcards that can be delivered as printed copies, as a PDF file for electronic distribution, or converted into a poster-size print. Additionally, Incite designed a Facebook fan page that includes additional information and photos.

“I love going to the movies,” says Dina Wasmer, President of Incite Creative. “After a long workweek, there’s nothing better than grabbing a friend, a big bag of popcorn and settling into a comfy seat in front of a big screen. And no, I’m not talking about a TV. I mean the real big screen! And it’s sad that so many of our city’s theatres have only their marquee left to signify their existence. We all need to escape from reality sometimes and when we learned about Flickering Treasures’ initiative to keep movie screen memories alive, we were excited to play a role.”

Since the campaign began, a local foundation has awarded “Flickering Treasures” a matching grant of $10,000. Now is the ideal time to become a sponsor and share our theater memories with future generations in this high-quality photo book. Contributions for “Flickering Treasures” are tax deductible. Flickering Treasures will also spark a dialogue about how to re-invent our old movie houses so that they can once again become a vibrant part of the community. Be a part of this change by supporting “Flickering Treasures.”

For more about “Flickering Treasures,” please visit the Facebook fan page at: https://www.facebook.com/flickeringtreasures. Parties interested in donating to this worthy cause can download a PDF form by clicking on the “Support” tab on the fan page.

About Incite Creative (www.incitecreativeinc.com):
Now in its twelfth year in business, Incite Creative is a marketing and graphic design firm that specializes in strategic positioning, brand development and creative implementation services for Mid-Atlantic, small-to-mid-sized companies and organizations that have regional, national and international reach. For more information, log onto http://www.incitecreativeinc.com or contact Dina Wasmer at 410-366-9479 ext. 101 or dina@incitecreativeinc.com.

Contact:
Dina Wasmer
Incite Creative, Inc
1501 St. Paul Street, Suite 113
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-366-9479
dina@incitecreativeinc.com
http://www.incitecreativeinc.com