Parks Department and Jaylen Brown Team Up with Red Bull to Transform Dorchester Basketball Court
The Boston Parks and Recreation Department and Boston Celtics athlete Jaylen Brown are excited to announce the winner of Red Bull’s “Get In The Paint” contest for a basketball court renovation design at Fenelon Street Playground located at 20 Fenelon Street in Dorchester.
“Now that we have the winning design, we’ll be working with Red Bull to break ground in late spring, and the court will be completed in the summer,” noted Boston Parks Commissioner Ryan Woods. “We’re excited that Jaylen chose a City of Boston park for the donation.”
Northeastern University student and Worcester native Kaiya Santos, 19, won the competition with her brightly colored design inspired by the graphics used in the “Get In The Paint” campaign featuring Jaylen Brown, the Red Bull athlete and All-Star forward for the Boston Celtics.
“The colors were so bright and vibrant I thought they would look super welcoming on a basketball court,” Santos explained. “Aside from being a Celtics fan, I joined the activation because I am super big on creativity. I’m studying Studio Art right now at Northeastern University, and the whole reason I chose that is that I have always wanted to make a difference with my art, so being chosen as the winner and being able to put my art out there and it resulting in a positive impact is amazing.”
Participants were invited to create the court of their dreams for a chance to earn an experience with Jaylen Brown. After a public vote, the top 11 designs were reviewed by a panel of qualified judges and Santos was selected as the Grand Prize Winner. Later this year, the neighborhood basketball court will be transformed, refurbished, and painted in partnership with the Boston Parks and Recreation Department based on the winning design.
Fenelon Street was chosen thanks to the efforts of the Erie-Ellington and Brinsley Partnership Neighborhood Association and the group's president, Marilyn Forman, who served on the panel that selected the winner.
An outspoken advocate for social justice and educational reform, Brown launched the 7uice Foundation inspired by his favorite number 7, the same number he wears on his jersey. Boston 25 News Anchor Kerry Kavanaugh recently asked Brown what motivates his involvement in projects like the Fenelon court renovation.
“I look at it as a responsibility,” he said. “Athletes in general, entertainers, you know, are so influential. And I just think the power in that is amazing to be able to use that for positivity and to uplift a community or be a voice for the voiceless. Not just to show up to places and receive praise or to be put on a pedestal, but to use your voice."
