Tom Duffy and the Yes! Solutions Bike Team successfully complete the TD 5 Boro Bike Tour for the second year in a row

Once again this year, Sports Angels President Tom Duffy joined the YES Solutions cycle team for the TD 5 Boro Bike Tour on Sunday May 4^th.  Tom successfully completed the 40 mile ride and once again raised over $10,000 for both Sports Angels and YES Solutions.  Congratulations to all for their commitment, stamina and perseverance. 



The Broad Channel Athletic Association honored Sports Angels for their support after Hurricane Sandy destroyed their football fields and equipment.  Sports Angel’s board members Mike Kostel and Mary Lanning attended a recent Broad Channel awards luncheon and were presented a commemorative plaque thanking Sports Angels for the support of their fall 2013 football season.  In his remarks at the luncheon, Broad Channel Athletic Association President Jack Allen indicated that if it weren't for the Sports Angels grant, there wouldn't have been a fall football season.  Sports Angels thanks all the coaches who worked so hard to preserve the football season for the kids of Broad Channel despite the problems caused by Sandy.

To see other photos from the Awards luncheon, click on the photo gallery above.

Sports Angels Helps Sandy Victims

Last year during Hurricane Sandy, the Broad Channel area of Queens was badly damaged by the storm surge.  In addition to loosing homes and business, Broad Channel lost all the recreational facilities in the community.  In addition to the damage to fields, bleachers, and storage sheds, the storm wiped out all the equipment needed for the fall football season.  Thanks to a donation from Sports Angels to the Broad Channel Athletic Association, this year’s football season was able to proceed as normal. The grant provided for balls, uniforms, and other items necessary for a successful campaign. We at Sports Angels hope to continue our involvement with BCAA to insure that the children of Broad Channel can enjoy many years of sports activities.  Click here to see  the Broad Channel football teams in action.

     



Sports Angels supports the Inner City Scholarship fund

On March 26,2013, the Junior Committee of Inner-City Scholarship Fund (ICSF) hosted its
annual basketball tournament.  The gymnasium of Our Lady Queen of Angels School, located on 113^th
street in East Harlem, was filled with nearly 100 students, parents, volunteers and Sports Angels board members cheering on teams in a NCAA style showdown.   It was impossible not to notice the sense of pride and seriousness on the players faces as they adorned their fresh new uniforms and played with professional grade equipment all thanks to the generous grant provided by the Sports Angels Foundation.  In the end, one team won the final game but all participants were rewarded with trophies. One student’s comment captured the overall feeling in the room, “It feels like a real team. I’ve never played a sport on an actual team before – it was a lot of fun and I learned a lot”.

Students that participate in the Junior Committee basketball program come from surrounding
East Harlem schools. All three schools are located in District 4 of the Archdiocesan Department Education.  In this District 100% of the students in this district qualify for free and reduced lunch and 90% fall at or below the Federally defined poverty level. Yet, they continue to perform well above average for New York State Standard Testing.

With numbers such as this, these schools operate on shoe-string budgets and athletics
programs cannot be afforded.  Without the help of ICSF Junior Committee and the Sports Angels Foundation this basketball program simply could not take place.

Sports Angels Board Members are part of the opening ceremonies at the Barclay Center

Sports Angels Board members Ralph Branca and Brooklyn native Joe Pignatano will be attending the first NBA game at the new Barclay center as special guests of the Nets. Ralph and Joe represent Brooklyn’s sports tradition and we are proud to have them as part of the Sports Angels board. Click here to read more about the Nets invitation from the Wall Street Journal.

Sports Angels featured on ESPN

On April 15, as part of their celebration of the 65th Anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s debut in the Major Leagues, ESPN’s Baseball Tonight featured a piece on the baseball program at the Jackie Robinson School in Brooklyn--a program which didn’t exist until a grant from Sports Angels made it possible. Back in 2010, it was discovered that the school named after Robinson did not have a baseball program due to budget cuts. This just didn’t seem right to the Sports Angels board and a special grant was made to underwrite the equipment and uniforms to get the program going. Featured in the piece was Sports Angels Vice Chairman and Robinson's teammate Ralph Branca along with a group of enthusiastic young baseball players who can now participate in a baseball program thanks to Sports Angels. To view the feature click here.

Sports Angels in the News

A recent article in the New York Daily News described a basketball tournament in Harlem for kids 10 to 13 sponsored by the Inner City Scholarship Fund. These kids might not ever see the inside of a gym or experience the life lessons learned from sports if it weren’t for all the volunteers from the ICSF. Sports Angels has been a proud supported the Inner City Scholarship Fund for the past three years. Thanks to our support, the kids have equipment to use; an electronic scoreboard to track the games; and uniforms to wear during the tournament. To see a copy of the article click here.

Inner City Scholarship Participants Thank Sports Angels

Three young men who received uniforms and equipment thanks to a grant from Sports Angels spoke at last year's Inspiration Award dinner. To see their remarks click here.

Your Donations at Work

Sports Angels is proud to announce its grant recipients for 2012. In our continuing effort to support worthy organizations in the tri-state area, Sports Angels is continuing to support the Inner City Scholarship Fund with uniforms and equipment for its Basketball program in Harlem.

Manhattan Youth Baseball has received a grant to underwrite scholarships that will allow 18 children to participate in clinics to help improve their baseball skills. Thanks to a grant from Sports Angels, there will be a baseball program for the first time at St Luke’s Elementary School in the South Bronx. Look for news of more grants coming soon.

Inspiration Award Winners

On September 20th, 2011, Sports Angels presented the 5th Inspiration Award to Curtis Sliwa at the annual Inspiration Awards banquet held at the University Club in Manhattan. Also honored at the dinner was Howard Brenner, former President of Drexel, Burnham, Lambert, former governor of the American Stock Exchange, former director of the Securities Industry Association and a Director of the National Stroke Association.

News and Notes

Sports Angels is proud to announce the creation of the Ralph Branca Award to recognize individuals who have illustrated sportsmanship, integrity and philanthropy throughout their lives. The first Ralph Branca Award was presented to the man for whom it was named, Sports Angels board member Ralph Branca at this year’s Inspiration Award dinner. On hand to present the award was Boston Red Sox manager and Ralph’s son-in-law Bobby Valentine.