Rivers praises ABCD, Hoop Dreams fundraiser

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BOSTONDoc Rivers always roams the TD Garden court for a good cause, but few get better than this.
For the second year in a row, Rivers will be on the sidelines overlooking the action during the Action for Boston Community Development's (ABCD) Hoop Dreams fundraiser.
As one of the area's more prominent figures, there are plenty of organizations that Rivers can serve.
But the ABCD program struck a chord with Rivers, who said he first learned about the program when he saw an article about Bob Elias, ABCD's Director of Government and Industrial Relations.
"I had my assistant call them," Rivers told CSNNE.com. "I wanted to get involved. It's such a neat group. I thought it would be a great way to get involved in Boston charities."The ABCD program, celebrating its 50th year anniversary this year, is focused on helping to improve the lives of low-income residents in the Greater Boston area through various neighborhood-driven programs ranging from Head Start programs to job training to programs for the elderly.
Last year's Hoop Dreams fundraiser generated more than 100,000 towards the programs offered that collectively serve more than 85,000 individuals in need.
Each of the 10 teams participating in Wednesday's action paid 10,000 for a total of 100,000.Rivers, much like the ABCD organizers, would love to see the Hoop Dreams fundraiser continue to grow.
"When you meet the people that work for ABCD, especially Bob Elias, you just see how hard they work and how many people they touch," Rivers said. "The other part is they do a lot for young people. The summer jobs program that they do for kids coming out of high school, kids coming home from college. I just think it's really important. This is the one that I wanted to get involved with."
And fundraising aside, it also offers some a chance to do what so few can -- play on the legendary parquet floor.
"It's called Hoop Dreams and it's a really neat thing," Rivers said. "A lot of guys never get the opportunity to play out on the Boston Garden court. And they get to do that. Some are very serious. Some have fun."
Quipped Rivers, "The most important person here is the trainer."
For more information on the ABCD program, you can log on to their website (www.bostonabcd.org) or you can follow them on Twitter (@Bostonabcd).

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