They jump through hoops in the business world every day, but what are the wizards of the corporate world like when it comes to shooting hoops?

We’re going to find out during the 2008 Bay Street Hoops tournament, presented by RBC Direct Investing. The gurus of the boardroom meet the backboard in this tournament that pits men’s and women’s teams from the city’s corporate realm against each other for three days of exciting basketball. It’s one of Toronto’s premier charity sports events and it helps Serve!

This year’s fundraising goal is $200,000, which will go the tournament’s beneficiaries, Special Olympics Ontario and Serve!

The event is held March 27-29 at the University of Toronto Athletic Centre, 55 Harbord St., and Ryerson University, 350 Victoria St. About 70 teams compete on Thursday and Friday evening, and Saturday morning. All teams play in a three-game, full court, five-on-five, round-robin format, with experienced referees. Semi-finals and finals are on Saturday afternoon at the University of Toronto Athletic Centre.

New this year is the Unified Basketball division, where Special Olympics athletes and students from St. Andrew’s College and Havergal College will compete in an integrated six-team division within the Bay Street Hoops tournament on Saturday at University of Toronto.

In addition to the tournament, there’s also a “Tip-off” event that includes the Mazda Shoot-for-a-Car competition held at First Canadian Place on Thursday, March 27 at noon; a children’s basketball clinic with Raptor’s coach Sam Mitchell on Saturday, March 29 at 2 p.m.; and a Post-Game Party that will includes dinner and a silent auction. The Post-Game Party is open to everyone (you don’t have to attend the tournament)-- tickets cost $20 and it’s held at the Steam Whistle Brewery.

For more information on the tournament, to sign up a team, or to get tickets for the Post-Game Party visit the Bay Street Hoops website or contact us.

The latest issue of Momentum, Serve!’s newsletter, is now available. This edition features articles about Serve!’s programs and projects over the past year including:

• Lights! Camera! POV!: Behind the scenes Serve!’s summer filmmaking project
• Serving Up The Summer in Flemingdon Park
• Creating Connections In Malvern
• Barenaked in Rosedale 2007 rocks the backyard
• A Serve! graduate talks about schizophrenia
• A donor profile of Bay Street Hoops
• And more!

“Expanding Minds to End Violence” a series of workshops on hate-motivated violence and discrimination, developed and implemented by teams of youth in Serve!’s full-time Experience This! program was a recent recipient of the City of Toronto’s Mayor’s Community Safety Award.

“This award is an amazing honour for the youth who made this project possible,” said Serve! Program Manager Elaine Munro, “the young people spent countless hours researching and developing a resource about hate-motivated violence that could be used by other youth to raise awareness in their community.”

“The Mayor’s Community Safety Award is testament to the good work of the “Expanding Minds to End Violence” project,” Melanie Stewart, Executive Director of Serve! said, “Serve!’s youth have been leaders in the community as they increased awareness and skills amongst other young people in the City.”

The Mayor’s Community Safety Awards recognizes and celebrates the contributions of people and groups who work to make their community a safer place to live.  Each year, five recipients are recognized for their contribution to improving the safety of Toronto residents. The review committee found the “Expanding Minds” project demonstrated exceptional success in operating an innovative program to meet the identified needs of Toronto residents.

“Expanding Minds to End Violence” was a project of Serve!’s Experience This! program, which saw a group of diverse young people aged 17 to 24 work together on activities that address, confront and prevent discrimination and violence in the community based on race, gender and sexual orientation.

Over a six-month period in 2006, participants engaged in an extensive consultation process with other youth in their community and, from that, put together interactive training workshops for schools and youth organizations to prevent violence among their peers-- an educational tool created by youth, for youth. The team then delivered this workshop with other youth in Regent Park, Malvern, Jane-Finch, Flemingdon Park and Rexdale. The workshops have been delivered by a subsequent team of youth over the past year.

The Mayor’s Community Safety Awards were given out at a ceremony at Toronto Police Service Headquarters on December 6.

Serve! is gearing up for its latest six-month Experience This! program starting November 5th. A team of diverse youth aged 17-24 will engage in a full-time program with activities and projects which focus on personal growth, teamwork, and community involvement.

A key component of this program will involve a special project, ”Don’t Just Sit There, Stand Up Together.” which involves initiatives by youth, for youth, designed to prevent discrimination and hate-motivated violence/crime targeted to the LGBTTTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, two-spirited, queer & questioning) communities. Over the six-month duration of the program, youth participants will organize a public education and awareness campaign and create and produce a resource kit for youth to prevent discrimination and homophobia.

The program will go from November 2007 to April 2008.

Would you like to sample some fine wines? Add some fine vintages to your collection? And support Serve! as well?

Serve! Uncorked is your opportunity to enhance your collection while at the same time supporting a wonderful organization. The evening will feature both a live and silent auction of truly fine vintages that are both enjoyable and highly collectible, and a tasting of Napa Valley wines from 1994.

Hosted by noted wine expert Tony Aspler and J-F Courville and featuring auctioneer Stephen Ranger of Ritchie’s, Serve! uncorked promises to be an event worth savouring!

The event will be held Wednesday, November 21 at 6pm at the Rosehill Lounge, 6 Rosehill Avenue (one block south of Yonge and St. Clair)

For more information or to order tickets visit the Serve! Uncorked website