American Family Insurance will present Hoops for Hope, a free community event that will focus on raising awareness about substance use and mental health in the BIPOC community, on Sunday, Dec. 8, 9 a.m. at Madison College’s H. Douglas Redsten Gymnasium.
The event will also hosted by Safe Communities, the African American Opioid Coalition, and Madison College. 
According to the National Institutes of Health, overdoses are one of the leading causes of injury-related death in the United States. In 2022, 107,941 people died from drug overdoses—an average of 296 lives lost each day.
“This devastating issue is even more pronounced in Dane County, where data from Public Health Madison and Dane County reveals that, from 2020 to 2022, the age-adjusted drug overdose death rate among Black people was more than 4.5 times higher than the county’s overall rate,” said Safe Communities in a press release announcing the event. “Alongside elevated overdose death rates, the Black and Hispanic communities also experience significantly lower rates of mental health care compared to White Americans. These statistics emphasize the critical importance of events like this one, which brings education and awareness to substance use and mental health in BIPOC communities.”
Hoops for Hope will feature a 3-on-3 basketball tournament with 16 teams competing for cash prizes, a thrilling 3-point contest, a community resource fair, free food, face painting, a DJ, and activities for the whole family. For more information, click here.
