Hoops And Homework Hires New Program Director

FRAMINGHAM, MA — The Framingham Hoops and Homework program is getting a boost from a new hire. The after-school program hired a new program director recently to take charge of the organization.

Kevin Lopez comes to Hoops and Homework from Framingham High School, where he was a youth program coordinator. Lopez has also served as a Boys and Girls Club camp director and program manager at Skills USA.

Hoops and Homework highlighted Lopez's fluency in Spanish, which will help him connect with Latinx youth — about 75 percent of students who use Hoops and Homework are from that demographic, according to the organization.

"When you assess the needs of these neighborhoods, you really have to get input from the people that are living there," Lopez said in a news release. "I consider myself a service-driven leader. I want to support the families and kids as much as possible."

The Lopez hire comes during a busy 2021 for the organization. Hoops and Homework recently held a grand opening for a new classroom facility along Interfaith Terrace.

Herb Chasen founded Hoops and Homework in 2012 with a grant from Framingham. The program is open to students ages 5 to 14 from 3 to 6 p.m. daily at two locations: the Framingham Housing Authority along Pusan Road, and Cochituate Cooperative Homes along Interfaith Terrace.