For Robert Covington of the Sixers, getting out of the house and staying active is crucial for kids.
“You got video games, you got all this other stuff but really, the fun is about being outside,” Covington told dozens of elementary school students Thursday. “You build more relationships when you’re outside.”
The 6 foot 9 Sixer — who scored a team-high 29 points in Wednesday’s season opener — geared up for a game with students at Chester Arthur Elementary, a sprawling brick school on 20th and Catherine.
Covington wasn’t just squeezing in some extra practice. Through the Dreambuilders Foundation and OCF Realty, a $20,000 check was presented to the Philly public school.
OCF, a real estate company owned by Ori Feibush, has swept through the area with new housing developments. But today, Feibush (pictured talking to the media below) presented a check for Pennsylvania Playworks, a nonprofit that provides low-income schools with recess coaches and training modules to keep students active.
Playworks, which came to Philly in 2010, is already established in 26 schools around the city, like the Sheppard School and Cramp Elementary in Kensington. The organization estimates that it serves about 14,000 children in Philly.
“We believe in the power of play,” Playworks Executive Director Ivy Olesh told students minutes before Covington joined students on the court.
Here are some scenes from the game:
Watch @sixers forward @Holla_At_Rob33 play a pickup game with kids at Chester Arthur Elementary. Always defending. pic.twitter.com/iRXgXBiPl7
— Billy Penn (@billy_penn) October 19, 2017
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