Knicks star Enes Kanter visits kids in Bushwick shelter

September 10, 2018 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

New York Knicks center Enes Kanter greets young fans at the Back-to-School Community Fair at the Flushing Family Residence. Photo courtesy of SCO Family of Services

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Children living in a Bushwick shelter got to see a professional basketball player up close when New York Knicks center Enes Kanter came to visit them for a back-to-school event last week.

Kanter delivered backpacks filled with school supplies to the kids living in the SCO Family of Services’ Flushing Family Residence as part of the shelter’s First Annual Back-to-School Community Fair.

SCO Family of Services, a Manhattan-based nonprofit organization, sponsors the shelter at 1226 Flushing Ave. in Bushwick.

Staff members at the Flushing Family Residence organized the fair to give children a positive experience as they started a new school year, according to officials at SCO Family of Services.

The organization worked with the New York Knicks, Garden of Dreams Foundation and local groups to put together the event.

The fair featured food, face painting, balloon animals and an appearance by a clown.

DJ Boof provided the music for the party.

“We are thankful to Enes Kanter, DJ Boof, the Knicks, the Garden of Dreams Foundation and all of the community organizations who came together to give our kids a rousing send off as they begin the new school year,” SCO Executive Director Keith M. Little said in a statement.

“And it was all made possible by the efforts of our amazing staff,” Little added.

The Brooklyn Public Library, Community Board Four, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the New York City NYC Commission on Human Rights, the Bushwick Community Partnership and the 83rd Police Precinct were among the city agencies and organizations that helped put the fair together.

The Flushing Family Residence houses 98 families on a temporary basis, assisting the families as they seek to become self-sufficient.

SCO Family of Services operates a variety of programs aimed at helping families, including after-school programs, job placement assistance and social service referrals. The nonprofit group has been offering programs throughout the five boroughs and on Long Island for more than 100 years.

For more information on SCO Family of Services, visit www.sco.org.