Seriously? Basketball coach turned fundraiser? Yep and we are super-excited about this 30 day race against time to raise $100,000 for a very worth cause. It’s all thanks to Shaka and Maya Smart.

Shaka and Maya Smart and their daughter.

Shaka and Maya Smart unveiled a 30-day fundraising campaign today for FRIENDS Association for Children at the organization’s child development center in Church Hill. The Smart family plans to raise $100,000 for FRIENDS during the month of November through Richmond t-shirt startup BonfireFunds.com.

“I visited FRIENDS earlier this year and saw the organization’s positive influence firsthand,” Coach Smart said. “The kids are so bright, they have a great energy, and we need to keep lifting them up so they can reach their potential.”

FRIENDS has been serving Richmond for more than 140 years and offers services that help children gain critical literacy and developmental skills.

“Our family continues to be impressed with the impact this organization is making for children in the community,” Maya Smart said. “We hope Richmond stands with us this month to raise money and visibility for FRIENDS.”

Here’s how it works:

• Individuals and fundraising teams can purchase and compete to sell shirts through a special site set up at BonfireFunds.com/FriendsRVA.
• Top fundraisers can earn rewards including a limited edition Shaka t-shirt, dinner with the Smarts, an Ed Trask painting, and a Samsung 55” SMART LED TV.

With the addition of a team selling feature, this partnership marks the most ambitious on the Bonfire platform to date.

“We are thrilled to partner with Shaka and Maya on this campaign,” Bonfire founder Brian Marks said. “We’ve already been able to raise money for thousands of causes using our model and we’re excited to expand our platform to encourage teams to sell t-shirts for FRIENDS.”

The team selling the most shirts will win Coach Smart for an hour. This hour could include a speech at a company meeting or leading the winning team in a workout. “We’ll have fun with it,” he said.

Smart, VCU Men’s Basketball Coach, also selected FRIENDS earlier this year for an ESPN giving challenge for $100,000, and through online voting, made it into the final four – but only the top organization earned the cash prize.

“We’re thrilled that the Smart family is partnering with FRIENDS again. The funds can help our family support program for a year, which makes a big difference in the lives of those receiving our services,” FRIENDS executive director David Young said.

About FRIENDS

FRIENDS Association for Children operates multi-service child development centers in Jackson Ward and Church Hill and serves nearly 1,000 children, ages six weeks to 17 years of age, with a broad array of services. Learn more about the organization’s beginnings in 1871 at FriendsRVA.org.

BonfireFunds.com is risk-free way to sell soft t-shirts for a cause. Once a fund is launched, a t-shirt is designed, as long as the fund sells 50 shirts, Bonfire prints, ships and instantly transfers all proceeds from the fund directly to you.

Click here to help Shaka and Maya Smart raise $100,000!

Check them out here. Comment on our Facebook page and let us know your favorite posts of 2012 from Richmondmom.com too. We love to know what our readers think!

–Rainbow around The Moon by Meghan Mack

-Mom Arrested for Letting Her Kids Play Outside by Kate Hall

-Does Birth Order Matter? In My House, That’d Be a YES by Katie Mardigian

 -Letter to Working Moms by Nicole Unice

–The Benefits and Risks of Circumcision by Rhonda Day

–Are You a  Good Mom? by Alex Iwashyna

–Real Richmond Parents our collective group of amazing writers, always visited!

–What the Kerfuffle is Really About by Tara Casey

–The Little Engines that Could (Do the Chevy Road Trip Challenge) by Kate Hall

–A Girl Named Ib by Meghan Mack

–The Low-Down on Slushy Magic *as Seen on TV by Kate Hall

–Bigger Than Brackets, A Lesson in Loyalty by Cheryl Lage

–How Chick-fil-A Lost a Fan by Rachel Reynolds

–Fifty Shades of OMG by Kate Hall

source: blog.timesunion.com

With that in mind, you can imagine my shock, when after the keynote address at the Martin Agency’s 2010 “Take Your Kids to Work Day,” VCU Coach Shaka Smart and then team-standout, Joey Rodriguez, became frequent mentions in our day-to-day conversation. Their names came up at the dinner table, on the playground, even during Children’s Moment at church.

Then something magical happened. The very next year, Coach Shaka Smart and the VCU Rams made their heroic march to the NCAA Final Four. Suddenly, and surprisingly, the whole Lage family was glued to each game. We cheered aloud. We curled into the fetal position when scores got too close. We celebrated at the Carytown Sweet Frog with each victory, smiling broadly at—and with—our fellow city-proud neighbors.

Coach Smart’s youthful enthusiasm, teamwork focus, respectful demeanor and superlative sportsmanship made him a perfect example to discuss with our children those valuable (and in my opinion, too-infrequently exhibited) traits, especially in the world of televised sports.

Naturally, Richmonders weren’t the only ones assessing Shaka’s impressive skill-set. Rumors began circulating of pending offers. Two sets of prognosticators emerged. As I dubbed them, the “Half-Empties” who were confident the money dangled would be a sufficient and irresistible lure; and the other camp, the one in which we set up our tent, the “Half-Fulls,” those who felt Coach Smart’s palpable dedication and affectionate attachment to the Ram Nation would keep him and his family here in the Commonwealth. When NC State made their offer following last season’s Cinderella-esque success, Coach Smart, to our great delight, declined.

Source: vcuathletics.com

This season, with few returning players, the Rams yet again “surprised” those outside our city’s confines. The rumors resurged early, with Illinois (apparently, a very prominent team, and not solely the locale of the most recent Republican primary) leading the Shaka acquisition charge. The “Half-Empties” seemed to grow in number…especially in light of the alleged growing “number” Coach Smart would likely be offered. This week, the offer came…and went.

Coach Smart, thank you. Thank you not only for staying here in Richmond where we adore you and that for which you stand, but for providing an accessible illustration of priorities other than those solely financial. Havoc indeed! Our children have now learned via your example when you work hard, you can achieve something great— on your own terms, where you want to be, and be respected by your community and beyond.

Thank you for your faith in us, Coach Smart. Richmond will not let you down.

Image: VCUAthletics.com