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He holds all of Stanford University's records in steals and assists.
He earned the Bobcat's franchise record for single game assists (20).
And his 38.79 assist ratio places him seventh in NBA history.
Now Brevin Knight will face his toughest opponent yet... his wife Deena!
Deena has challenged one of the greatest passing guards in basketball history. She and Brevin will be going head to head. While Brevin is making assists on the court, she will be making ASSIST's in her communities.
Brevin couldn't create assists without help from his teammates and neither can Deena. She is going to need your help. She wants you to join her team. You can do this by sending in your stories of how you assisted someone in your community. Or you can become a teammate of the foundation by volunteering your services or by making a donation. For more information please write: assist@assistbyknight.org.
Here is the final score:
5/21/2008
The 2007-2008 NBA regular season has come to a close, and so too concludes our Knight vs. Knight competition. As you can see, it wasn't even close! The biggest lesson that I learned was that giving is very hard to measure. Unlike an assist in basketball, which leads to a measurable outcome, assists in the community are much more abstract. If 29 children spend the day beautifying the Urban Ministry(urbanministry.org) by gardening and painting murals, do we count 29 assists or do we attempt to quantify the number of individuals who will be touched by this precious act of kindness. Oh, but what about the moms who drove them there? And what about the staff of the Urban Ministries who not only assisted the kids with their assists, but also assist hundreds of homeless individuals each and every day. In this case, we counted 29 assists, but we witnessed something greater.
I also learned that intention is hard to measure. In basketball, if Brevin passes the ball to his teammate for an easy lay-up and the teammate misses the shot, Brevin does not earn an assist, even if it was an amazing "thread the needle" pass. With people, intention is immensely significant! We've all heard the expression: it's the thought that counts. This holds true when we give to our fellow man. We may not be able to fix their immediate problem, say chronic illness or homelessness, but our humanity can create hope and determination where none existed.
We initially had trouble collecting assists. I think this is because true givers do not seek credit! Countless individuals dismissed their actions, saying "all I did was ________." No matter what, that ________ took time, energy, or money, these people didn't think it would "count" as an assist. Each and every day at my daughters' school I witness this phenomenon. Teachers give assists all day long. Parents volunteer to help where they can. Children donate their allowances and birthday gifts to support various missions. Giving gives way to giving. It becomes contagious. Last year, our daughter Brenna helped launch a book drive that led to thousands of books being donated to the Salvation Army Center of Hope children's library. Recently, our daughter Kayla, cut 10 inches off of her hair to donate to Locks of Love (locksoflove.org) because she was inspired by two of her friends who had done this before her. Sometimes, the assists are invisible. No one knows you are making, but you and they like it that way.
Finally, having a good team helps. We rounded out this competition with Project Bloom's Prom Princess Essay Contest (http://projectbloomgirls.org/prom.htm). With collective assists from major retailers, small local businesses and several individuals, four girls received beautiful makeovers for their Prom. These girls were chosen because they were able to articulate the concept of giving back to their communities. While their essays were varied, and each girl's perspective unique, they each recognized the importance of collective unity. If we would each make an effort to become less self -centered, and consider how we are uniquely suited to make a particular contribution to our communities and then partner with others to make it happen... the outcome would be nothing less than extraordinary.
3/7/2008
Since our recent re-launching of this website, we've received many ASSIST stories. Some people give their time, some people give money, some people give
things, and some people simply give of themselves, . The bottom line
is that giving can come in a variety of forms. It's really about the
heart. Whether that thing you do, affects one or affects many, it
matters. Two of the following ASSISTs come from young adults, which,
like Noah's story, is so refreshing. They say we live in the ME
generation: that people "these days" are selfish and self-absorbed.
Well, clearly that is not true of the following individuals. Hats
off to each of them for making a difference. Enjoy.
Here's my story:
My assist began June 1996. I was a young fragile girl forced to grow
up in a fast paced society with no mother or father to guide me along
my journey. I could have turned to men to fill the void of my father
or became a teenage mother to create a bond with my child that I
could never have with my mother. I did neither. I turned to Temple
University's Upward Bound Program. The Upward Bound Program provides
strength, courage, motivation and a sense of hope for low-income
kids; kids who are on the road to college and just need a little
support. I graduated from the program in May 2000. As a result of
Upward Bound, I became focused, motivated, driven, empowered and
received a full scholarship to Temple University. I was so moved by
how Upward Bound changed my life that I went back to become the big
sister that many young girls in urban areas need. I provided support
and tutoring to high school girls I knew could walk down that same
road to college. All it took was a small conversation about growing
pains, a phone call to let them know someone cares, a hand to hold
when times got rough, or just an example someone aspiring that looked
like them, talked like them and walked like them. I became their
motivation; their shoulder to lean on. Assisting those girls for four
years not only gave them hope, but it gave me faith. I believe that
anything you want in life is just an assist away.
~ Shontay Robins ~
Hi Deena,
I am a wellness/cleansing coach. I am working with someone who is
morbidly obese and before she began my program a month ago she could
hardly turn over to pick up the telephone. She also uses a
handicapped decal to park close to church. I am happy to report that
she is not only losing weight, but has lots of energy! She not only
parked away from the front door and walked last Sunday, but she also
went to the gym and worked out on the exercise bike. I am so blessed
to have been able to find a company that will support me in my quest
to heal the body of Christ so that we can tap into our God given
purpose and pull down all of the blessings that God has for us. This
is a great thing that you are doing, keep up the good work.
Amanda J. Burgess, MS
Hi Deena,
I wanted to tell you about a gracious act of kindness
that a dear friend of mine took part in. He was going to get a
haircut over the holidays and he was parking his car and finishing up
a phone conversation. He was in a shopping center with multiple
businesses. There was a car that was parked next to him. A man rolled
down his window and told my friend that he had no money and just lost
his job. This individual needed money to buy food for his family.
My friend gave him all the money he had in his wallet
which was about $40.00. The man replied that God would bless him.
Hats off to my friend, Coach John Fox and his act of
kindness to someone in need!
JOANIE
Here is Andrew's story of his Assist. As both of you know
Andrew has lived a pretty normal suburban life. He has been blessed
with many good fortunes and having been raised in the Washington D.C
area Andrew became active in many racially diverse and socio-
economically diverse organizations. While being transplanted to the
south he has made some adjustments . His involvement in Bridge
Builders of Memphis has had a lasting effect on him. Due to hard work
Andrew found himself the recipient of numerous academic scholarships,
some whose value was given directly to him. in December of 2007 he
started and endowed the Andrew T. Cibulas Technology Support Fund at
The University of Alabama, and is providing computers to incoming
freshman in the School of Engineering who meet the academic criteria
set by the scholarship requirements ( determined by him). It is his
hope to assist future engineering students with the required
technology so they can advance in their chosen field of engineering.
With so many young people out there buying more stuff for themselves
we are proud that he has chosen to assist students in his UA community
through this endowment.
George and Mary Anne
It's a question of balance, really! Sometimes we get overwhelmed in
our lives and start to "trim the fat." We ponder on what we HAVE TO
do versus what can WAIT. Well, I HAVE To be a good mom and I HAVE To
be a good wife, but maybe I don't HAVE TO go on that trip with my
girlfriends, and maybe I'll just work-out TOMORROW, and maybe I can
put that service thing on HOLD, etc. etc. The problem with this
approach is that one day you wake up, your friends have moved on,
you've gained ten pounds, your soul is crying out and you still don't
know where the time went! Turns out those things were not time-
wasters. On the contrary to being your "fat," those were the key
ingredients that were helping you be better for your family... helping
you to be a better version of yourself.
Personally, this so true of my work with Project Bloom. I had taken a
break to work on some administrative responsibilities and, in turn,
had come out of the trenches. However, I kept feeling like something
was missing and now, having returned to this work over the past few
weeks, I realize just how much helping others helps me. I can't wait
to create new extraordinary experiences for this new group of girls,
and, in doing so, share something special with my own children. They
are proud that mommy does this work and they want to be a part of it.
My husband is proud of me too. I've also included my friends. Over
coffee, I recently sat down with 12 friends, some new, to figure out
strategies for the very first Project Bloom fundraiser! Next week, a
friend will even collect donations for Project Bloom, in lieu of
presents, at her birthday party! Turns out there is a way to make the
pieces fit together. You just have to want to... Now if only I could
type on the computer while running on the treadmill without breaking
my neck... Oh well, maybe tomorrow!
Thanks to everyone who sent me an Assist, I'm going to try to feature
as many as I can. I'm gaining on you, Brevin. With love, DK
Back to Top
2/15/2008
The assist of the week comes from Noah Ogata.
Although he is was only 4 years old, he is doing things that even adults don't think of.
One morning while Noah was riding in the car with his mom he noticed that lots of people were sleeping on the sidewalks in make shift shelters made of various materials, including cardboard boxes and shopping carts. Like a typical young child, Noah would ask lots of questions and wanted to know things such as: Why are these people sleeping on the sidewalk? Where do they live? How come they don't sleep at home in their beds? Aren't they cold? Etc. His mom did her best to answer each question but Noah was saddened and wanted to help.
Noah and his parents created a program named "Project Star" and distributed flyers petitioning people to donate blankets for these homeless individuals. After one month Noah had collected nearly 200 blankets and over $400 to purchase blankets.
The collection of blankets took a big boost with the help of Deena Knight, the Assist by Knight Foundation and the LA Clippers. Deena spearheaded several collections at the Staples Center during November. By Thanksgiving some 650 blankets were distributed through various shelters throughout Southern California. To date Noah has collected nearly 900 blankets.
When I first challenged Brevin to an assist competition I knew it would be tough. Here is a guy who prides himself not in PPG (points per game) but in APG (assists per game). His sole mission on the court is to help his teammates score points so that his team can win games. But, I thought, wouldn't that be a great attitude to have towards community work: to make as many life affecting assists as possible? However, just as Brevin has a team, I figured I could recruit some teammates of my own.
Noah Ogata is my MVP. I first heard of his Project Star (Featured as the Assist of the week) when his dad sent me a very sweet email. Since this fantastic four- year old was right in LA, I was able to invite him and his family to a Clippers game and personally donate some blankets. The family was so sincere that it was easy to see where Noah gets his heart.
While we set out to support Noah's Project Star and to show kindness for some of those those living on the streets of LA, we accidently made the difference in the life of a little boy. Noah's mom recently sent me this email:
Hi Deena,
I have been meaning to send you a little note. Your husband has become a household name and we frequently have our lights turned off in anticipation of "Number 22: Brevin Knight". Then, Noah will go down the list of players and their numbers - running in and out of the room. He even asked for the number 22 on his basketball team. Unfortunately, that was the only number which had been retired in the league. (He then went with #50.) Noah religiously watches the Clippers games and cheers them on. He is totally excited when they win and on days that they don't, tells us that it is okay because there is always another game. The opportunity to meet Brevin and see him again during a game are experiences which he is not soon forgetting. Thank you for facilitating those meetings.
We are probably nearing the end of our blanket collection. I think we ended up with over 860. The City of Alhambra ran a small article in January which mentions Noah's Project as well as your involvement. One of the Curves sites had collected about 191 blankets for homeless youth over the holidays.
Hope all is well. Take care.
Wendy
And that's what it's all about.
Special thanks to Brevin (who's always on my team), the Clippers organization, the Ogata family and to Noah Ogata who proves that great things can come in small packages.
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