Garry Mills was simply in awe as the midnight green, silver, and black confetti rained from the rafters of the Caesars Superdome after the Eagles put together one of the most dominant performances in Super Bowl history, eviscerating the Kansas City Chiefs, 40-22.
Mills, a native of Philadelphia's West Oak Lane neighborhood, was a guest of the Philadelphia Eagles for Super Bowl LIX, as his work with the nonprofit, Shoot Basketballs NOT People (SBNP), inspired the Eagles organization.
"I'm forever grateful to the Philadelphia Eagles for granting me that opportunity," said Mills, who started SBNP in 2010 and turned it into a nonprofit in 2013. "As a football fan, it's the Super Bowl. These are things as a child that you dream about, sitting in front of the TV, watching confetti fall and you're literally in the area while the confetti is falling and watching probably one of the best performances the Eagles have ever put on in Super Bowl history. That was a beautiful situation."
Another beautiful situation is how the Eagles' Super Bowl run brought added attention to SBNP, a transformative youth basketball program dedicated to preventing violence and promoting positive change in communities affected by gun violence. Mills applied for a grant from the Eagles Social Justice Fund and was one of nine nonprofits chosen to receive $30,000 this past season. In honor of Wear Orange Weekend, which honors victims of gun violence, the Eagles announced on Friday that the application process for 2025 grantees is officially open!
The exposure from the Eagles Social Justice Fund has provided SBNP with the following:
- 42% uptick in volunteer interest with new volunteers from corporate, collegiate, and local community organizations
- 35% increase in youth retention rate (123 new youth joined from historically underserved neighborhoods in North and Upper Northwest Philadelphia). More than 2,500 youth have been involved in SBNP programming.
- 36% increase in open rates for newsletters
- 18% increase in click-through rates for emails tied to program sign-ups and community events
- 43% increase in monthly web traffic
- 27% growth in Instagram followers
This summer, SBNP will host 12 events, including its first summer camp in partnership with Northeast High School. The expansion in programming extends to conflict resolution and mindfulness training from professionals, basketball player development and mentorship to prepare youth for high school and collegiate opportunities, and free uniforms/apparel for all youth participants.
"I was relentless when it came to this particular grant because everyone wants to be honored by the Eagles in some capacity," Mills said. "We put our best foot forward. We really locked in as a team to make sure we had the necessary bells and whistles for the grant."
Mills' advice to prospective applicants:
- Have some established presence in the community
- Pilot your program to show a proof of concept
One of the most decorated Philadelphia high school players in the city's illustrious history, Mills was a first-team All-Public League selection at Lincoln High and is a member of the school's All-Time Team. He returned to Philadelphia while attending college at Virginia State after the 2003 passing of his grandfather, community activist Frederick Caliman, who had been a father figure to him. Mills wants to open a gym for SBNP and name it after his grandfather.
"It's imperative that I carry on his legacy, especially as an African American leader in this space, because not many leaders are coming back and grabbing these children, especially around my age," Mills said.
"I wanted to make sure that I was one of those leaders with old-school values, but just a new-school outlook."
The Eagles didn't just cut Mills a check to aid him with his mission. They've continued to follow up and provide resources and opportunities to network and host events together.
"Just the way that the Eagles nurtured this relationship, again, I'm forever grateful for that," Mills said.
