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Stamford Peace Basketball Club Honors Student-Athletes

STAMFORD, Conn. — Stamford Peace Basketball Club Inc., a high-level youth basketball program serving boys and girls from elementary through high school in and around lower Fairfield County, honored two of its players at a March 6 ceremony in Stamford. 

See story for photo identifications

See story for photo identifications

Photo Credit: Contributed

The high school seniors, each of whom have played with Stamford Peace for six years, and who will play college basketball next year, were honored with Stamford Peace’s Kyle A. Markes Humanitarian Award. 

Brian Kriftcher, founder, president and head coach of Stamford Peace presented the awards to Elizabeth Grosso and Natalie Wind. 

Grosso and Wind each have earned numerous honors at the high school level. Grosso earned FCIAC honorable mentions from 2013-15, has a cumulative GPA of 4.45 and has worked as a volunteer and peer mentor with local church and school groups. Wind has earned FAA All-League honors and NEPSAC All-Conference in her freshman and sophomore years, has a cumulative GPA of 3.83 and will be playing basketball at Wheaton College next year.

Nearly $7,000 was raised during the event in support of Stamford Peace’s programs and scholarships, including its Beyond Limits Academic Program. 

The Kyle A. Markes Humanitarian Award is named after Kyle Anthony Walter Markes, who died from acute lymphoblastic leukemia. He was born to Mr. Walter and Dr. Jackqueline McLean-Markes on March 31, 2002, in Stamford. Kyle's love of learning shared equal time with his love of sports. He loved to play, watch and follow basketball, football and soccer. 

Stamford Peace offers innovative basketball programming for boys and girls ages 5 to 17 in and around lower Fairfield County. It uses basketball competition, training and instruction as a means of teaching the importance of education and other essential life skills to students from diverse socio-economic, religious, racial and ethnic backgrounds. Among the life lessons emphasized are the value of teamwork, discipline, a strong work ethic, personal integrity, sportsmanship and resiliency. 

PHOTO CAPTION: The Markes family with the Kyle A. Markes Humanitarian Award recipients and Stamford Peace Co-Founder, President and Head Coach Brian Kriftcher. From left to right: Jackqueline McLean-Markes, Kayonne Markes, Natalie Wind, Walter Markes, Elizabeth Grosso and Kriftcher.

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