ORLANDO – Former professional basketball player Adonal Foyle has not let his retirement from his illustrious 13-years career as an NBA player slow him down, in fact he is busier than ever with setting new heights of achievement for himself and his Kerosene Lamp Foundation, an organization that empowers children in the areas of athletics and academics.
Adonal grew up in the tiny nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, where he first picked up a basketball at the age of 15. His quest for a college education, which ultimately led him to the United States and into the NBA, is an amazing and inspirational story of ambition, hard work and a little bit of luck. The eighth overall NBA draft pick in 1997, Adonal played a decade with the Golden State Warriors and three years with the Orlando Magic. He graduated from Colgate University magna cum laude with a Master’s degree in sports psychology from John F. Kennedy University.
In May 2013, Adonal along with co-author, Shiyana Valentine-Williams, the Executive Director of the Kerosene Lamp Foundation, launched his new children’s book “Too-Tall Foyle Finds His Game,” heartwarming children’s series centers around his life as a young boy living on a tiny island in the Caribbean.
The main character is dealing with the difficulty of finding a sport to play because he is “too tall,” and all the other children keep laughing at his clumsy attempts at a range of sports from soccer to track and field. He gets so discouraged until he discovers basketball. The book intends to teach children a range of important lessons, including that it is acceptable to try new activities, to never to give up on your dreams and goals, and to always believe in yourself. The book is paired with beautiful and vibrant illustrations by Toni Pawlowsky and can be purchased at www.TooTallFoyle.com
In addition to becoming a published children’s author, Adonal is also preparing for Kerosene Lamp Foundation’s Athletics and Academics camps that will be held in St. Vincent and the Grenadines July 2013. Future camps are being planned for Oakland, California August 12-13, 2013 at the East Oakland Youth Development Center for 100 at-risk youths living in inner-city Oakland and Orlando, Florida in the Fall, 2013 at the Parramore Kidz Zone for 100 at-risk youths living in the Parramore neighborhood of Orlando.
Since 2003, KLF Founder, Adonal Foyle has returned home to St. Vincent and the Grenadines to hold his free Athletics and Academics Island Camps. Led by Adonal, along with a staff of NBA professional athletes, coaches and volunteers, the camps go beyond teaching basketball skills, to also address the areas of health like HIV/AIDS and nutrition, improving leadership and social skills, and education with a focus on literacy.
The A & A Camps combine the fundamentals of basketball with educational & health messages to create a unique and fun-filled experience for youths aged 7 to 17.
To date, KLF has held nineteen camps in St. Vincent & the Grenadines plus one All-Star Camp over five summers, reaching over 3000 children.
In 2010, camps where held in Trinidad & Tobago where over 300 children were taught via 4 camps and in 2011 a camp was held for over 100 children in Dominica. For more information please visit http://www.kerosenelampfoundation.org
