WORCESTER—It’s 6 p.m. on a Friday night in downtown Worcester in early March. North Main Street is quiet for the most part as another work week comes to a close. But soon, parents and children begin navigating their way up the hills of State Street and Gertrude Ave. to the back of Wesley United Methodist Church.
Basketballs, sneakers and water bottles in hand, they make their way into the side entrance of the daunting, Gothic Revival structure that normally functions as a place of worship.
But on this night, the topic is not religion—it’s basketball, with a side of life lessons.
Down in the recesses of the church basement, an old basketball court is reborn with a chorus of young voices joined by the sounds of basketballs bouncing, sneakers squeaking and parents cheering that echo off walls adorned with flags of various nations.
It’s the opening night of the spring session of the Fruits of Labor Basketball Club (FLBC), a co-ed Worcester youth basketball organization for students in second through eighth grade.
At the center of it all is Kunan Taylor, dressed in a full, official basketball referee uniform. He’s not just the club’s founder; he literally blows the whistle and makes the calls during games.
Taylor started the club in 2022 spurred by a desire to get back into youth development work. It was a time with a high need for youth sports and activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic bringing many youth leagues to a halt in 2020 and 2021.
“It was really time to finally bring the dream to life,” said Taylor.
Earlier in his life, Taylor had served as a volunteer at the Friendly House neighborhood center on Wall Street beginning when he was 17 years old. There he worked with youth in the after-school program under the tutelage of his mentor, Jim Williams. He went on to become the coach of a Friendly House sixth grade travel basketball team that played games throughout New England.
It was also during this time that Taylor played on the basketball team for Bob Vartanian at the old Worcester Voke in Lincoln Square. Through both of these experiences, Taylor really learned the importance of community, family and the value of hard work.
These are values that had been instilled in him at a young age by his mother Clara D. Makate. Her life mantra was simple, yet powerful: “You don’t work, you don’t eat.” In short, people that work hard will get to enjoy the fruits of their labor while people who don’t work hard will go without.
The 2024 spring session of the FOLBC features 14 teams—six in the second through fourth grade division and six each in the fifth and sixth grade division and seventh and eighth grade division. Practice is held for all age groups in two sessions each Thursday night with games on Friday evenings. The program runs for approximately seven weeks in March and April.
In the current session, two half-court 20-minute games are held simultaneously in a three-on-three format that includes substitute players. Each team plays two games every Friday.
The overall purpose of the club is to provide kids with a safe place to play, free from any negative influences that may exist in everyday life, especially those within inner-city neighborhoods. Taylor sees the FOLBC as a place for kids to grow, build relationships and interact with one another. A place away from screen time, social media and video games.
“In today’s world, kids aren’t allowed to be kids,” said Taylor.
He sees the FOLBC as a healthy, low-cost, alternative option for families in Worcester. The sessions have ranged from 50 players at the outset to more than 80 participants currently. No players are ever turned away. The club is sponsored in-part by Omni Realty.
While the sport of basketball is the delivery method, the FOLBC is really more about teaching life skills such as working hard, the importance of practice, the power of teamwork and being a good person.
This teaching method is most evident in the practice sessions Taylor runs for the second through fourth grade division on Thursdays. Several times during the practice, Taylor pauses and yells out “What’s the number one rule?” The players enthusiastically answer: “Pay attention!” Part of the overall program addresses listening, behaving in the right manner and the importance of body language.
“It makes me feel great to see our kids learn how to behave properly in a basketball game as well as in the real world,” said Taylor. “Working on both skills and attitude allows us to enjoy the fruit at the end of the process.”
Players are constantly taught to be resilient, despite what might happen in a given situation. There are wins and losses and calls made by referees that go one way or the other. As in life, there are victories and defeats and times when things don’t go as planned. In basketball and in life, the goal is to move on and not dwell on temporary misfortune.
When it comes to resiliency, there is no one in the gym that possesses more of it than Taylor, who has persevered through three open heart surgeries. The first procedure took place when he was just 11 years old, followed by additional surgeries in 2013 and 2015. It could have been easy to give up on his dreams and let his health struggles hold him back. Instead, he has stared adversity in the face with the true heart of a champion.
Taylor hopes to see the FOLBC continue to grow in the years ahead. The club is in the process of attaining nonprofit status as a 501(c) with future plans of adding a board of directors. Further additions could involve the establishment of an after school or tutoring program by working with other community partners.
The priority is not to produce professional basketball players but rather to build future community leaders who are ready to succeed and achieve. When opportunities arise for these young FOLBC participants as they grow older, they’ll truly be ready to take their shot.
Mike Vigneux is a freelance writer in Worcester with more than 20 years of experience in the fields of municipal government, communications, and public relations. An avid fan of all sports, Mike enjoys telling the stories of local athletes and their teams. He holds two degrees from Clark University, a bachelor of arts in Communication and a master of science in Professional Communication.He can be reached at Mikevigs@gmail.com
