SAN ANTONIO — Emani Bates loves going to summer camp. She gets to read, she gets to make new friends and, most importantly for her, she gets to use her imagination.
“Every day, I look forward to coming to camp," Bates said. "Honestly I think my grandma gets tired of me mentioning it a lot. I talk about it a lot.”
The 12-year-old was one of more than 100 kids attending the WestCare Texas Summer Extravaganza in San Antonio. It's a camp that focuses on life skills and other educational opportunities for disadvantaged children aged 6-15.
On this day, Bates and her fellow middle schoolers were writing a screenplay.
“I was in charge of the cast and the story,“ Bates said. "I like to make sure that the people I cast are comfortable with their roles, comfortable with what they're doing. And if they don't like that I can change it.”
Many of the opportunities at the camp, including most sports-themed activities, were made possible because of a $200,000 grant from the NBA Foundation on behalf of the San Antonio Spurs.
WestCare is the first organization in San Antonio to receive funding since the program started in 2020 as part of the NBA's social justice initiative.
“It's difficult to see kids and families having hardships and trouble. It just breaks my heart," said WestCare director of operations David Davis. “Got both parents working day and night, or two jobs...so hopefully we'll provide an outlet that allows for them to have some relief.”
Davis said the money is more important than ever, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic and rising costs due to inflation.
“It is the linchpin that allowed us to provide this level of programming," he said. "To be able to provide this service for free to our children, the timing was absolutely impeccable.”
The WestCare Texas Summer Extravaganza runs through Aug. 5 at Ella Austin Community Center on San Antonio's East Side.