For 25 years, Holiday HOOPS & ARTs has been creating opportunities for young people and families through athletics, arts, life skills, and health programs. Now, the nonprofit is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a special gala honoring the people who have helped shape its history while raising support for its future.
Founded in 2001 by Westley “Doc” Holiday Sr. and Judy Linder Holiday, HH&A has served over 2,000 youth and families since its founding. Today, the organization is led by their children, Westley Todd Holiday and Faith Holiday, who serve as Co-CEOs.
“Our parents, Westley ‘Doc’ Holiday Sr. and Judy Linder Holiday, founded the organization 25 years ago, so this work is both professional and deeply personal to our family,” Westley Todd Holiday says. “Today, Faith and I are helping carry that original mission forward while expanding how HH&A serves young people and families.”
From Basketball to a Broader Mission
Holiday HOOPS & ARTs began with basketball, but the vision behind the organization was always about more than athletics.
“What started with basketball was really about much more than the game,” Holiday said. “They saw sports as a way to mentor young people, build confidence and discipline, create opportunities, and surround youth with people who believed in them.”
Over the years, HH&A expanded its programming to include arts, health, life skills, mentorship, and community programming.
“I would want them to know that HH&A is ultimately about opportunity and community,” Holiday said. “We create spaces where young people can develop as athletes, artists, students, leaders, and individuals.”
The organization’s goal is to help young people build skills and support systems that can extend beyond their time in a particular program.
For Holiday, one of the most meaningful parts of HH&A’s 25-year history has been watching former participants grow into adults who continue making an impact of their own.
“One of the most meaningful things is seeing young people who were once participants grow into adults who are now professionals, entrepreneurs, coaches, parents, and community leaders themselves,” said Holiday.
HH&A alumna and 2026 Gala honoree Logan Ranage is one example. Holiday says Ranage has spoken about how the skills she developed through HH&A continued to influence her career and leadership.
“Those stories remind us that the impact of youth programming does not end when a season or program ends,” said Holiday. “It can continue showing up years later in how someone leads, works, raises a family, or gives back.”
Celebrating 25 Years at the Anniversary Gala
The organization’s 25th Anniversary Gala will take place Friday, Oct. 16 from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Ballroom in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
The evening will celebrate HH&A’s 25 years of community impact and youth development. Guests will enjoy a cocktail hour and gourmet dinner, along with entertainment, a silent auction, door raffle, and special recognition of community leaders and supporters.
For Holiday, however, the people coming together for the evening are what make the celebration particularly meaningful.
“I think people should be most excited about experiencing the full HH&A community in one room,” said Holiday. “There will absolutely be great food, entertainment, recognition, and celebration, but what makes this Gala special is the mix of people who will be there: founders, alumni, current student-athletes and families, coaches, community leaders, supporters, staff, and partners.”
The event will also look at HH&A’s history and on to the future of the organization.
Proceeds from the Gala will support HH&A’s Legacy Fund, which is focused on helping provide scholarships, strengthen the organization’s long-term sustainability, and advance its vision of establishing a permanent home for its programs and community.
That future vision is an important part of what HH&A hopes to accomplish in its next chapter.
“Our hope is to build something that is sustainable enough to serve young people for generations,” said Holiday.
In addition to expanding access through scholarships and strengthening the partnerships that make its work possible, HH&A hopes to establish a consistent space where young people and families can access sports, arts, health, life skills, mentorship, and other programming.
“We want the next generation to inherit something even stronger than what was built for us,” Holiday said.
For the Holiday family, reaching 25 years also means honoring the work their parents began while taking responsibility for what comes next.
“For Faith and me, there is also something very meaningful about being able to honor what our parents started while helping determine what the next chapter looks like,” Holiday said. “The anniversary gives us a chance to celebrate, but it also creates a responsibility to ask: what are we building for the next 25 years?”
Everyone is Invited to This Next Chapter
While the anniversary gala will bring together people with deep connections to HH&A, Holiday emphasizes that the organization’s future is not limited to those who have been involved from the beginning.
“You do not have to have been part of HH&A for the past 25 years to become part of the community now,” he says.
There are several ways to support the organization, including attending the Gala, participating in the silent auction and door raffle, donating, volunteering, becoming a partner, or sharing HH&A’s work with others.
“I hope {people} understand that HH&A’s impact is ultimately about people and relationships,” Holiday says. “Statistics are important, but behind every number is a young person, a family, a coach, a mentor, or someone who chose to show up and invest in another person.”
The 25th Anniversary Gala offers an opportunity to celebrate those people, recognize the organization’s history, and help build the foundation for its next 25 years.
People can also visit holidayhoops.org to learn more about HH&A’s programs, impact, events, and opportunities to get involved.
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