Dallas Mavericks veteran Maxi Kleber put his board game skills to the test on Tuesday afternoon when he battled against teens at The Family Place in Dallas, all in the name of fun.
Kleber joined the Mavs Foundation for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at The Family Place to celebrate the unveiling of a new teen lounge, sponsored by Chime. The renovated space is decked out with iPads, laptops, video gaming systems, board games, furniture, arts and crafts and more.
Splashed across the wall in vivid colors is a huge mural that says: “The future is bright!”
The event was an upbeat celebration, marking a new beginning for the families who call the shelter home.
The Family Place is a local nonprofit that works to eliminate family violence and helps survivors through no-cost counseling, emergency shelter and transitional housing.
This past year, the organization served 19,000 families.
“We really tried to listen and include everything you would want,” Dallas Mavs Chief Impact Officer Katie Edwards told the teens.
Edwards is also the president of the Mavs Foundation.
“We wanted to make an area where you could do schoolwork and be creative but also have some fun,” she explained. “We partnered with Mavs Gaming to help provide us with gaming equipment today. We provided new laptops and other equipment you can use. I’m so happy to have Maxi here today, so he can help try everything out.”
The new lounge was designed with kids in mind and the space promotes an uplifting atmosphere.
Children of domestic violence are often uprooted from their homes on short notice, and they rarely get to take any personal belongings with them.
Therefore, the room was built to have a “living room” feel for the youth to create a sense of safety and comfort.
The Family Place is the largest family violence service provider in Texas, and the organization is a safe haven for domestic violence victims with counseling services available, along with housing options and other programs, like children’s educational services.
There are definitely domestic violence trends in the North Texas community, one employee shared.
The holidays and summer months are a peak time, as well as sporting events, because offenders will sometimes lash out and get violent after their favorite team loses. She said it’s important for the teens to see the positive side of a local sports team.
Each year, thousands of families walk through the doors at The Family Place with kids in tow and nowhere else to go. The children search for any ray of hope and the new Mavs lounge aims to bring them a little sunshine.
The organization operates three emergency shelters with about 200 beds.
“It’s important for us to have bright, beautiful and inviting spaces that provide a positive outlook to our clients,” said Mimi Sterling, CEO of The Family Place. “It means we are doing our jobs in the right direction. We service three operational centers, and today we are in our largest, which services women and children.”
Sterling said The Family Place also operates one of the only two shelters in the United States for men and children.
She also shared how they have youth programs designed to work specifically with teens, who are at a very vulnerable stage in their life and need both physical and emotional support.
“This room will change how we interact with our kids,” Sterling said.
Edwards later emphasized how The Family Place has been a longtime grantee of the Mavs Foundation.
“We so appreciate the critical support they provide to families here in our area,” she noted when reflecting on the last 25 years the nonprofits have worked together. “This is the first time we get to come out and actually create the space. It’s warm, inviting and fun with the Dallas Mavericks brand and with our players, so we really love that we can be here in person and be able to create the space with them.”
Kleber attended the event to support the local community, asking for no fanfare so the focus could remain on the kids.
He spent an hour with the youth before visiting two local Mavs Hoop Camps in the area.
“It’s important for our clients to see that a player like Maxi really cares,” Sterling said. “They need positive role models. We appreciate the support of the Dallas Mavericks, Mavs Foundation and Chime. Today is a special day.”
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