New Heights 2018 Annual Report

Nick Riley Bentham

NEW HEIGHTS ANNUAL REPORT 2018: Respect the Game

Message from the Leadership Team

Permanently changing lives isn’t easy. It requires a deep investment of time and resources. But at New Heights, we know that the return on that investment can be priceless.

Thanks to the generosity of our supporters and the tireless efforts of the New Heights staff, this past year our College Bound program continued to teach, train and inspire hundreds of inner-city studentathletes to invest in themselves and their futures. The majority come from families who struggle to make ends meet, and many arrive with complex personal issues that require thoughtful solutions. But New Heights meets them where they are, levels the playing field and makes sure that they have the same opportunities as every other kid. In addition to our core basketball coaching and academic support, we provide hundreds of hours of individual tutoring, test prep, college advisement, parent workshops, a robust summer day camp and direct access to other valuable resources that low-income students often lack.

We’re thrilled to report that every single one of our girls and boys was promoted to the next grade level this past June, including all of our high school seniors who graduated on time and have since matriculated to higher education. These results defy the odds in New York City, where only 71% of students citywide graduated on time and 57% enrolled in college in 2017 – and the numbers are even lower in the economically disadvantaged neighborhoods where most New Heights participants live.

New Heights has come a long way since 2005 when we operated the College Bound program out of a cramped, shared office space in Washington Heights. From the Heights to the Bronx to our current space in East Harlem, we’ve become a stronger force each step of the way. While we may not be the largest youth program in our field, the number of youth that we serve allows us to be a close part of their journey and to make a significantly deep impact on their lives. We consider ourselves a de facto family willing to go above and beyond for our student-athletes, and a safety net to keep them from falling off the path to success.

We’re pleased to share this year-end report with you, which highlights the efforts and achievements of several members of the New Heights family. On behalf of them and all of the young men and women in our College Bound program, thank you for being a champion of our work and their futures.

In appreciation,

Ted Smith, Executive Director

Mark Patricof, Board Chairman

MISSION DRIVEN

New Heights guides hundreds of girls and boys to and through high school and college each year, and since 2005 has produced a strong track record of achievement.

MISSION

To educate and empower promising inner-city youth to be leaders, champions and student-athletes by developing the skills necessary for success in high school, college and life.

VISION

All young athletes will have the values and skills necessary to become leaders in their communities and succeed in life beyond sports.

TARGET

NYC youth ages 9-21 from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds who have a passion for basketball.

THE BOX SCORE

Since 2005

434 student-athletes placed in college prep high schools

330 graduates have matriculated to college

100% high school graduation rate

98% college matriculation rate

75% college completion rate

$56M in scholarship & financial aid awarded to student-athletes

PROGRAMS

New Heights implements several innovative programs to support its student-athletes for success in middle school, high school, college and life.

The College Bound program is comprised of the following two overarching elements:

BASKETBALL is the hook that engages our student-athletes, and the court is a classroom that promotes teamwork, leadership and life skills. New Heights fields 19 teams that compete locally and regionally, and in some cases, nationally.

ACADEMIC SUPPORT ensures that our youth reach the benchmarks required to advance in school, graduate, and matriculate to college.

The combination of basketball and academic support permeates each of College Bound’s subcategories of service:

HIGH SCHOOL ASSIST helps our fourth through eighth graders succeed in elementary/middle school and leverages that success to gain admission to college preparatory high schools. Services include: test prep, high school visits, financial aid workshops, and individualized counseling.

COLLEGE ASSIST provides our high school student-athletes with the individual support necessary to gain admission to top colleges and universities. Services include SAT/ACT prep, college visits, financial aid workshops, life skills development and NCAA recruiting and eligibility guidance.

CAREER ASSIST is our college completion initiative for New Heights alumni, and provides student-athletes with support and guidance to navigate and graduate college. Services include: mentorship, course/major selection, resume building, financial literacy, interview skills, internship assistance and career exposure.

SUMMER ACADEMY develops our students’ academic, athletic and leadership skills through a full-day, six-week program for rising fifth-ninth graders. Academic programming is focused on improving hard skills, while promoting the New Heights values of Teamwork, Respect, Effort and Excellence (TREE).

CONGRATULATIONS

CLASS OF 2018

EMILY ENGSTLER, SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY

LAUREN HACKETT, PACE UNIVERSITY

JULIANNA LIGNOWSKI, ST. JOSEPH’S COLLEGE

KENDRA SANCHEZ, HYDE SCHOOL

SAMANTHA SCHULTZ, NEW JERSEY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

JAEONNA SUTTON, UNIVERSITY OF BRIDGEPORT

RAMATOULAYE SY, SUNY OSWEGO

BRANDY THOMAS, LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY

MOSES BROWN, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES

CHRIS CHILDS, UNIVERSITY OF ST. JOSEPH (CT)

DAVONTE GAINES, HARGRAVE MILITARY ACADEMY

DARIUS LEE, SULLIVAN COLLEGE

MALIK MARTIN, UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHARLOTTE

ABDOU NDIAYE, ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY

LESTER QUINONES, IMG ACADEMY

OMAR SILVERIO, UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND

ANDRE TOURE, HOWARD UNIVERSITY

MARQUES WATSON, IOWA WESTERN COLLEGE

ALUMS IN THE PROS

The following New Heights graduates are playing professional basketball:

NIKI AVERY, CYPRUS;

CORI COLEMAN, LUXEMBOURG

DEVON COLLIER, PUERTO RICO

ISAIAH COUSINS, G LEAGUE

JAMES FELDEINE, ISRAEL

BRANDEN FRAZIER, SPAIN

ASHLEY GOMEZ, ENGLAND

LANCE GOULBOURNE, MEXICO

JIMMY HALL, ISRAEL

JON HAN, PUERTO RICO

JALEN JENKINS, BULGARIA

HASSAN MARTIN, GERMANY

TYRONE NASH, LITHUANIA

CHRIS OBEKPA, LEBANON

JOSH OWENS, ISRAEL

JAYVAUGHN PINKSTON, GREECE

XAVIER POLLARD, SWITZERLAND

DAVID SEAGERS, INDONESIA

LANCE THOMAS, NBA/NEW YORK KNICKS

JORDAN WASHINGTON, GREECE

TAYLOR WILLIAMS, IRELAND

LEADING THE WAY

While we do our best work on the court and in the classroom, New Heights also helps our student-athletes succeed by engaging with the larger NYC community.

Throughout the year we bring longtime supporters and new friends together to celebrate our achievements, raise awareness of our mission, and raise the funds necessary to change lives. In addition to our MADNESS cocktail reception in the spring and GameChangers Ball in the fall, New Heights introduced the first annual Golf Classic and the Women’s Leadership Breakfast in Summer 2018.

The Women’s Leadership Breakfast was a particularly important opportunity for our female high school and college participants to learn about careers options in the sports industry. The morning featured a panel discussion with female executives followed by breakout sessions for deeper discussions on network building and pursuing careers in the sports field.

Gratitude and giving back are values that New Heights prioritizes, and in the spring all of our student-athletes participated in community service days throughout Brooklyn at schools and churches. New Heights is especially grateful for everyone who helped organize these and other events, and for all our supporters who made this past year so successful.

PROFILES OF SUCCESS

The New Heights community is comprised of amazing individuals from diverse backgrounds and varying experiences. We would like you to meet just a few of them:

Years with New Heights: 12; High School: Rice High School; College: Manhattan College; Hometown: Bronx

EMMY ANDUJAR

Emmanuel (Emmy) Andujar, New Heights class of 2011, exemplifies everything that the program stands for. Raised by a single mother in the Edenwald section of the Bronx, Emmy joined New Heights as an 8th grader and, with the help of the organization’s High School Assist program, attended Rice High School in Manhattan. After a stellar high school career, Emmy earned an athletic scholarship to Manhattan College, where he graduated with a degree in Communications.

On the court, Emmy can do it all – he capped off his senior year at Manhattan by finishing in the league’s Top 10 in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and field goal percentage. The consummate teammate and leader, Emmy led Manhattan to two NCAA Tournament appearances. Since graduating, Emmy has been playing professional basketball in exotic places like Spain, Mexico and Puerto Rico. He also competes for the Puerto Rican National Team.

Recently, Emmy co-hosted a Back-To-School clinic and school supply giveaway for the youth of the Edenwald Projects. “Growing up in this neighborhood is not easy. You lose friends and family… and we want to put an end to it,” Andujar said of his event. Over the past year, Emmy has been battling cancer and hopes to resume his professional career in the near future. He is currently working as an assistant coach at his alma mater.

Everybody at New Heights has always had my back. They helped me get to Rice High School and ultimately Manhattan College. They have been there for me in my toughest times.

Years with New Heights: 6; High School: Monsignor Scanlan; College: UMass-Lowell; Hometown: Bronx

KAYLEN BANWAREESINGH

Kaylen Banwareesingh has been a part of the New Heights program since 7th grade. She is the consummate teammate, always putting a smile on everybody’s face and supporting everyone around her. She is a fierce competitor who hates to lose. KB (as she is known) is also a great student, earning many honors along the way. Her hard work and dedication on and off the court have resulted in a full scholarship to UMass-Lowell to play Div. 1 basketball.

New Heights created many new opportunities for me and helped me think about things to pursue in the future. Growing up with New Heights, successful college athletes and business people often came back to support and mentor us as student-athletes. I am looking forward to doing that down the road. New Heights has made me want to help young people, just as I was helped. Not only did they play a part in my success, but they’re also my family. I’ve had the chance to form bonds that I know will last a lifetime. The New Heights organization is a closeknit family -- from the head of the organization down to every coach and player. As a whole, we wouldn’t be as successful as we are without being a family. Aside from school and basketball, I’m interested in a variety of things. I have a huge love for music and typography.

Years with New Heights: 1; Current Role: Program Associate; College: Wesleyan University; Graduate School: New York University

WENDY ESCOBAR

This January marks one year since Wendy first joined New Heights as a tutor. Wendy discovered her passion for education in college, when she took a volunteer position helping high school students with the college admissions process. Although she began her professional career as an educator in the museum industry, her experiences coaching a youth soccer team opened her eyes to the value of sports based youth development. Seeing the opportunities that sports afforded students and the character building lessons it taught, Wendy was thrilled when offered the chance to expand her role to the full-time Program Associate at New Heights.

Using her work in education and her own experiences as a firstgeneration college student, Wendy strives to connect with the New Heights’ student-athletes and get them excited about learning. She earned an undergraduate degree at Wesleyan University, with a double major in History and Latin American Studies and a graduate degree at New York University, in Latin American and Caribbean Studies, with a concentration in Museum Studies.

New Heights endeavors to expand the horizons of our student-athletes and help them grow into conscientious and determined adults.

THE SPOTLIGHT

Basketball coaching and academic services are only part of the College Bound strategy. New Heights organizes extracurricular activities and workshops during the year to ensure our youth are prepared for life.

LANCE THOMAS ALL-STAR DAY: We ran a very successful Summer Academy again this year for over 100 middle school student-athletes. On the last day, our newest Board member Lance Thomas, hosted an all-star clinic, with a DJ and marching band. The kids participated in both basketball drill stations, as well as a career workshop with Lance and other Knicks teammates. Special thanks to Lance for creating such a special memory for our young student-athletes.

HIGH SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE: Our 14th annual Open House was hosted at the JCC in Manhattan, with over 20 schools present to share the vision of their programs. Public, private, charter, parochial and boarding schools were all represented by admissions officers and coaches, who spoke to our studentathletes about the admissions process and what to expect in making the transition to high school.

PROS & CONNS: Our annual middle school trip took us north this past year, specifically to UConn. Nearly 40 middle school students took a bus ride to Storrs, CT, and got a first-class tour of campus, the amazing practice facility and were able to watch a game featuring New Heights alum Keith Williams from the University of Cincinnati. Keith spoke to our team after the game about his journey from Brooklyn to Cincy and his time as part of the New Heights program.

SUMMER AT SUFFIELD: This past year’s “Week Away” portion of Summer Academy took our student-athletes to Suffield Academy (CT). The New Heights “campers” had the run of campus, enjoying activities such as ceramics, rock climbing and a ropes course. In addition, they had classes in public speaking and High School Assist. They were able to attend a movie, stay in the dorms and eat in the cafeteria, just like Suffield students. And, of course, they played a LOT of basketball.

SHOOT-A-THON: We are now five-for-five. For the 5th consecutive year, New Heights raised more funds than the year prior - with all 19 teams participating in this fun event that raised over $150,000 for our College Bound program. In addition, we provided our parents with a workshop from the Positive Coaching Alliance on how to support their children as students and as athletes.

New Heights Youth: Leaders. Champions. Student-Athletes.

2472 Broadway, PMB 112

New York, New York 10025

(212) 426-HOOP

www.newheightsnyc.org