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48 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, January 27, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 20, 2004 Light One Candle Youngster wants a pair of Air Jordans EDITOR’S NOTE: " Light One Candle" is an annual Mail Tribune feature that focuses on the single need of an individual, family or agency during the holidays. By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune Until last year, the 13-year-old Medford boy had never dribbled a basketball. While other kids were learning to shoot hoops and block shots in organized leagues, this boy didn’t. His family couldn’t afford the fees. When he entered McLoughlin Middle School, he became involved with a free youth sports league organized by Kids Unlimited, a Medford social service agency. Through a program aimed at teaching fundamental sports skills to kids ages 6 and up, the boy gradually learned the basics of layups and free throws. Last year, he and his teammates did well in their local league and took second in a tournament in California. This year, the eighth-grader is inspired to work even harder, with the goal of making a high school team, says Tom Cole, director of Kids Unlimited. This holiday season, the one thing that would spark motivation in this boy — and others — is a pair of shoes like the NBA players wear. Advertisement "Some of these kids have been wearing the same shoes since last summer," says Cole. "And these might be the shoes they work out in, play in and go to school in." Cole scrambles to pay for equipment for the more than 100 boys and girls who now play on Kids Unlimited teams. But resources are slim when it comes to shoes, especially the kind of shoes so many kids covet. "All these kids fantasize about a pair of high-dollar sneakers," Cole says. "The shoes they wear are nowhere near that." More than anything, this boy wants a pair of Nike Air Jordan basketball shoes in size 9½ . Donations of shoes or resources to pay for them would be welcome, Cole said. For more information, contact Kids Unlimited at 774-3900, 1 E. Main St., Medford, OR 97501. Reach reporter JoNel Alecciaat 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers