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Back to school prep rally continues at different Boys and Girls Club despite recent burglary

Posted at 7:05 PM, Sep 02, 2018
and last updated 2018-09-02 23:09:38-04

HAMPTON, Va. - Dozens of kids are getting ready for school as they took part in a Back to School Prep Rally basketball tournament at the Boys and Girls Club on Shell Road.

The event was moved to a different location after the Boys and Girls Club in Newport News off Hampton Boulevard was burglarized last week.

The location was newly renovated by NBA Hall of Famer Allen Iverson in August.

Organizer Brandon Dickerson told News 3 the Back to School Prep Rally must happen for students in the community to get prepared and motivated to start a successful school year.

There were free school supplies, hair cuts and hair braiding. A bounce house, food and vendors were also on display.

"This is God's show so God's show has to continue," said Brandon Dickerson. "We're just going with God's plan."

Dickerson with T Woods Wood Devils Organization dedicated a team jersey to Iverson at the renovated club. He said the break-in is disappointing.

"I've been an Iverson fan since a kid so it would've been an honor for me to be able to play or whoever to play on the court for the first time would've been special to me," he said.

Newport News police said two laptops were stolen and there's major damage inside.

"I was surprised anyway that somebody would try to break into a community center where kids play and steal from the kids because they didn't steal from adults, they stole from the kids those are who use the computers," mentioned Dickerson.

The Boys and Girls Club in Newport News is closed until further notice. It can leave some kids without a place to go and parents without a destination to send their kids after school.

"I think they're going to  be heart broken because I know if this place (Hampton location) were to close down I'd be heart broken," said student and community rap artists, Lanae Stokes. "You see all these people out here; they like to play basketball, they liked to do things."

Newport News police have not released any suspect information and the burglary remains under investigation.