CONEJO VALLEY — Basketball games are often won and lost at the free throw line, the pressure too much for some players. For new Thousand Oaks resident Richard Crasnick, shooting free throws in his driveway has pressure of its own. Every make yields a $1 donation to The Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley; however, every miss is one less dollar for the Clubs. This is all part of Crasnick’ s 365-consecutive-day free throw challenge.
Crasnick is shooting 10 free throws a day, every day, for 365 consecutive days in his self-proclaimed challenge. That’s 3,650 free throws of which he thinks he’ll shoot at least 65% or 2,372 made free throws, so he has guaranteed a $2,372 donation. Every additional make is another dollar for The Boys and Girls Clubs.
“I recently relocated to the area from Santa Monica,” said the lifelong Westside resident. “I celebrated my 61st birthday in April and just prior to that I read a friend’s Facebook post asking for donations to a cause in honor of their birthday. I thought, kind of cheesy, but it’s a common practice on social media.”
“It was then I decided I would donate my own money to a local organization and if anyone joins my challenge or donates along with me, great! I wanted the benefactor to support youth programs so the choice was easy, The Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley, and what better way to do it than challenging myself shooting hoops!”
Through 114 days Crasnick has exceeded his expectations, shooting at an 85% clip. Anything greater that 82% puts his donation over $3,000. All of his efforts are documented by video and posted daily on Instagram and Twitter under the handle @tenftadayx365
At the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley, our mission is to enhance the lives of young people and their families by providing a positive environment that cultivates academic success, healthy lifestyles, good character and citizenship.
We offer nine clubs throughout Conejo Valley and the Las Virgenes School Districts. Our membership includes over 4,000 kids and teens from our community who are guided by over 100 youth volunteers and 400 adult volunteers! We have a dedicated and staff team composed of over 100 passionate people and over 30 volunteer board members!