Excerpt from the Telegram & Gazette article published September 13th, 2023.
On September 12th, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Mass & Metrowest launched a new program at the Nativity School that will match students with members of the Holy Cross men’s and women’s basketball teams.
HC players will mentor their “Littles” and meet with them once a week during the school year. The initiative, called the Bob Cousy Assist Program, honors Cousy’s lifelong commitment to Big Brothers Big Sisters, his continued support of the Nativity School and, of course, his legacy at Holy Cross.
Five matches, including Holy Cross junior forward Caleb Kenney and eighth-grader Jaden, had their first meetings Tuesday. In the program’s first year, there will be 30 Nativity students matched with a Holy Cross basketball player.
“I’m very excited for the opportunity,” Kenney said. “It’s a great opportunity for us and the kids. We can learn from each other.”
“Connie and the organization were interested in continuing to get our teams involved,” said Holy Cross associate vice president for intercollegiate athletics Kit Hughes.
“I was blown away by all the students,” Holy Cross men’s basketball coach, Dave Paulsen said. “They came up, they introduced themselves. This is an impressive organization. I think the big thing is that our guys will benefit from this program as much, if not more, as the kids they mentor."
