Written Year: October

James Kelly is a ten-year-old, grade 5 student at John English Public School in the French Immersion program. James is an avid skateboarder, snowboarder and point guard for Etobicoke Thunder Major Atom rep basketball team. The team which has been together for the past three years has gone from an inexperienced team to being a contender at the Ontario Basketball Association year end tournament. (Ontario Cup) The team plays a series of games throughout the year, travelling to out of town tournaments and then are ranked according to their record. This years Ontario Cup is being held in Niagara in April 2017.

The team has become a cohesive unit under coach Evron Joseph who likes James’s work ethic. It is not uncommon for James to play a game and then go home and practice his shot on his own street hoop.

This past September, James travelled to Uganda with his mother Jenn Kelly to work at the Watoto Orphanage. (Watoto means child in Swaheli) While in Uganda, the pair worked in one of the Watoto’s villages for babies who were abandoned as infants or toddlers due to poverty, lack of education, and the HIV/AIDS crisis. James helped help pay for his air fare to Uganda by delivering the Etobicoke Guardian. He also had donated funds which he made from the annual Eastbourne street sale.

“When James was presented with his award he was very surprised and honoured as to be recognized as this month’s Athlete of the Month. James even at this young age is very passionate about his sport and has a social conscience and wants to give back to people less fortunate than himself. It makes me very proud of our organization that we recognize younger athletes that are so deserving of this award” says Joanne Noble, Chair of the Board of the Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame.