CHIBAJETS FUNABASHI, the professional basketball team operated by our group company CHIBAJETS FUNABASHI Co., Ltd. is actively engaged with local communities, providing support and education for socially and economically disadvantaged people, as well as children through its Jets Assist project. In cooperation with local governments and non-profits, we aim to realize healthy communities by fostering a culture in which people feel connected and support each other.
Food drives
We run food drives in cooperation with the non-profit organization Food Bank Funabashi and Food Bank Chiba. People can donate excess food they have at home, and it will be delivered to people in need. Currently, one in seven children in Japan and about half of the children in single-parent households live below the poverty line.* Additionally, in cooperation with the city of Funabashi, food collected at Food Bank Funabashi is delivered to families living with food insecurity. The program also contributes to the reduction of food waste by making effective use of food in the community instead of discarding it. This activity was started in 2020, and to date, over 1,000 kg of food has been collected and delivered.
*Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, “Overview of the Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions 2019”
Support for single-parent households
To support single-parent families in Funabashi (approximately 3,000 families), we invite them to home games and offer special cheerleading classes led by the Chiba Jets Flight Crew Cheerleaders, and offer basketball classes led by CHIBAJETS ACADEMY coaches in cooperation with our partner companies.
Book drives
We are engaged in book drives to deliver books donated by local residents to children and young adults. At home games, visitors are encouraged to bring books that inspire them. To date, more than 625 books* have been donated to public elementary and high schools in Chiba Prefecture, as well as childcare support centers, after-school programs, children’s homes, and other facilities in the city of Funabashi.
*Results for the 2021-22 season
Collaboration with schools and educational institutions
As a professional sports team that values community engagement, we make sure to cooperate with educational institutions. We donate basketballs and scrimmage vests to the basketball clubs of junior high schools in Funabashi to promote exercise and combat the negative effects the COVID-19 situation has had on physical fitness. We have also donated mini basketball hoops to approximately 900 kindergartens, nursery schools, and childcare support facilities in Chiba Prefecture. Beyond sports promotion, we donate original backpack covers to first-year elementary school students in Funabashi. We also sell Jumbo Pork Buns, a food item jointly developed with local junior high school students to have them engage with the themes of local production for local consumption and eliminating food waste.
Chiba Dream Challenge ☆ Passport Project
The Chiba Dream Challenge ☆ Passport Project invites children to home games in cooperation with Chiba prefecture. The purpose of this program is to promote watching sports live and expose children to the outstanding performances of professional basketball players to help them develop sports-related dreams and aspirations.
Social contribution activities by players
CHIBAJETS team members have also launched their own social contribution projects and actively engage in various activities in cooperation with the local community.
One member, Gaku Arao, shares his understanding of the importance of locally-sourced food by running G.CREW, a social contribution project based on the themes of nature, agriculture, and food education.
Shuta Hara is involved in activities that support children undergoing long-term medical treatment in cooperation with hospitals in Chiba Prefecture via his social contribution program Hara no Wa (Hara’s Circle).
