This August, Eliza Howe ’13, Rob Toste ’08 and Michael Evans ’05 will be traveling to Havana, Cuba, to participate in service work through Full Court Peace.
Full Court Peace was started by Evans in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 2007 where he created the first integrated high school boys’ basketball team, comprised of Catholic and Protestant boys from segregated high schools. He later expanded the program into a non-political organization that aims to bring together communities through youth basketball teams around the world, of which he now serves as the executive director.
Howe is participating in the first girls’ trip for the organization. Howe and Evans will spend a week working with local girls to paint and restore courts, as well as give out uniforms, run clinics, and play in a tournament. “Having played basketball for four years at Hamilton and seeing what it’s done for me, I am excited to go to Havana to offer the same community and support for girls that was provided to me,” said Howe.
Toste will be on the boys’ trip to Havana one week earlier, where he will be doing similar activities with Evans and local boys.
Full Court Peace has also worked with youth in Juarez, Mexico. This year the organization is starting a pilot program, Camp United, which was created to reduce the social and economic division in Fairfield County, Connecticut.
Evans graduated from Hamilton College with a degree in communication studies. He was captain of the men’s varsity basketball team. After graduation, he went on to earn his master's degree from the Harvard Kennedy School and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Howe graduated with a degree in economics and was captain of the women’s varsity basketball team and a member of Phi Beta Chi. Toste graduated with a degree in government and was a member of the men’s varsity basketball team and Delta Upsilon.
