"Giving for His Glory:" Basketball players at Trinity Lutheran School collect donations for charity



RACINE -- Assists are a big part of the game of basketball. A middle school girls team in Racine is learning about assisting others, and it's bringing them closer together.

The girls who play for Trinity Lutheran School's fifth and sixth grade basketball team in Racine know all about teamwork. They're also proving to be an even better team off the court. The girls are paying it forward, and dedicating their season to those in need.

"Before we started the season, I offered the girls a challenge to come up with something to pay back the community. They brainstormed. The 10 of them came up with 'let's do organizations in our town or in our facility that are non-profit,'" Kathleen Robison, coach of the fifth and sixth grade girls basketball team at Trinity Lutheran School said.

Trinity Lutheran School



It's called "Giving for His Glory."

The girls set a goal to raise $1,000 during their season.

"They all picked different ones. They voted on them. Each girl made posters for every game," Robison said.

At each game, they ask fans to donate to help the charities, but they don't stop there.

Giving for His Glory



"They have done allowances. They've done chores for parents. They've got donations from grandparents, from their family. One girl gave her lunch money. They go out and seek donations from their families and friends," Robison said.

Kathleen Robison



The giving spirit doesn't just come from the players. Coach Robison decided she would also get involved.

"I said 'alright, I'll offer you $1 for every point you make,' but I said, 'I don't want you running up scores. I want you doing it for God's glory because we are giving the money,'" Robison said.

Robison said she wants everyone to know it's the girls that are the stars both on and off the court.

"The girls want to go out and purchase things for different organizations. They want to present the stuff. I'm not going to go present it. It's their program, so they are doing all that," Robison said.

The players said this campaign is bringing them closer together as a team and as friends.

Giving for His Glory



"We spend our time together and talk about stuff. We call each other to make our posters, and we are just like a family practically," Salma Ibarra, fifth grader said.

Robison said she knows she has a winning team, no matter what the scoreboard says at the end of a game.

"They're all running with this program. I offered them a challenge and they took off, and this group is awesome," Robison said.

Trinity Lutheran School



Trinity Lutheran School's girls basketball team is undefeated -- but more importantly, they've nearly hit their goal of $1,000, as they have raised just under $900 so far.