Big dreams start small

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By JODIE FAWL / Lincoln Journal Star

It costs a dollar to watch a Small Fry basketball game at the Salvation Army Community Center, and it’s worth every penny.

The fans at this miniature arena, on 27th Street north of Holdrege, are as enthusiastic as Jack Nicholson watching the Lakers or Eva Longoria at a Spurs game.

While the Salvation Army may not compete with the Staples Center in Los Angeles or the SBC Center in San Antonio, the ambiance of the pint-sized gym is just right.

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Amber Johnson tries to get the ball down the Salvation Army Center court during small fry basketball. (Jodie Fawl)

Amber Johnson tries to get the ball down the Salvation Army Center court during small fry basketball. (Jodie Fawl)

Many dreams of high school and college basketball careers have begun here, and unlike in high school, everyone gets to play.

“It is the perfect opportunity for kids to learn how to play the game using shorter baskets,” said Al Simpson, coach of the girls’ Davidson Insurance team.

The program also has helped keep kids out of trouble, Small Fry coordinator Larry White said.

While some players have plans — and talent — to continue playing after Small Fry, he said, for many, the games are “their memories of a lifetime.”

The basketball league is just a small part of the activities and services offered at the center.

“We offer a little bit of everything,” said Stanford Bradley, community center supervisor. A Heat Share program helps people pay gas and electric bills, a food pantry program helps people who have run out of food, and church services are held every Sunday in the chapel.

The center is a safe haven for children after school until 8 every school night, Bradley said. A mentor program helps them improve their grades, and kids get a hot meal every weeknight.

“When I started working here 10 years ago we had black and white and mixed kids,” Bradley said. “Today, we have more diversity. There are Arab and Sudanese students. We see many faces from many places.”

A Tobacco Free Lincoln Club in its third year is encouraging students not to smoke, he said.

Built in 1954, the Salvation Army Community Center has been serving area families for 52 years.

Cedar’s Northbridge Community Center opened nearby in 2003 and provides care for preschool students. During the winter, when the preschoolers can’t go to Pentzer Park, they get their exercise in the Salvation Army gym.

Reach Jodie Fawl at 473-7235 or jfawl@journalstar.com.