Jillian Ricci, 10, shoots for two during a basketball program for youths at Wagner Farm Park in Millstone on Jan. 23. SCOTT FRIEDMAN One teenager has made a world of difference in the lives of community children with special needs.
Millstone resident Cassie Chee, 17, a senior at Allentown High School, approached the township’s Parks and Recreation Commission in the fall of 2010 with a proposal to run a special-needs basketball program. She volunteered to organize and implement a 45-minute, skill-based learning program tailored to individual abilities. “Basketball has always been an important part of my life and my family’s life,” Chee said. “Even though I don’t play anymore, I’ve found ways to keep it in my life. This program just seemed like another great way to do that.”
Chee played for Millstone Warriors travel basketball and Allentown High School. In addition, her father, Don Chee, founded a nonprofit youth basketball organization and has coached her brother for years. Since basketball was always at the heart of drawing her family together, Chee believed she could create a program that would be an excellent means of giving the special-needs children in her hometown an opportunity to get together and have fun while learning the game.
Left: Youngsters enjoy an afternoon of shooting hoops at Wagner Farm Park in Millstone on Jan. 23. Right: Participants line up to take a shot during the weekly basketball program. PHOTOS BY SCOTT FRIEDMAN Recreation Coordinator Nicole Vladimirov said, “It was received well by the recreation commission since the specialneeds soccer program we offered in the fall was such a success.”
The goal of the program is for every child to experience the joy of participating in an organized sports program. The program also gives children the opportunity build friendships, confidence and self-esteem, according to Chee. “I am learning as much from the children as they are learning from me,” Chee said. “We are learning patience and how to interact with each other. At the same time, we are building friendships and having a lot of fun.”
Nine children in grades K-5 participate in the basketball program held at Wagner Farm Park on Sunday afternoons. Chee pairs participants with buddies who assist them in learning the fundamentals of basketball.
“In each session, the buddies work on certain activities with their kids,” Chee said. “We practice passing, shooting and dribbling drills, and we also play games that the kids enjoy such as duck-duck-goose that involves drib- bling a basketball at the same time. By the end of the program, participants can expect to have a basic understanding of the fundamentals of basketball that has been achieved while building friendships, confidence and self-esteem.”
As the volunteer director, Chee is responsible for communicating with and coordinating the buddy volunteers. Her mother Roberta, father Don, and brother Ethan, 15, serve as buddies. There are also buddy volunteers from Millstone Middle Schhol and Allentown High School. Those assisting with skill drills are Matt Morini, Kalli Qutub, Tyler Morales, Christina Denney, Casie Walker, Christa Lebers and Alissa Lebers.
“I think it is great that teenagers are willing to devote their free time to this program,” Chee said. “It feels great to give back to the community, and I am glad that they all decided to become involved in it. Everyone, including myself, is truly enjoying the program.”
Vladimirov said, “It’s wonderful to have young adults wanting to give back to the community, especially within this specialized group, which requires working one on one. It would be awesome to offer additional programs like this, but without volunteers like Cassie and her dad, mom and brother, it would not be possible.”
The township looks forward to continuing the program, according to Vladimirov.
“But it all depends on Cassie’s plans after high school graduation,” Vladimirov said.
Chee said her family would like to see the program continue with the number of participants and buddies increasing each year. The pilot program is running for six weeks but she would like to see it run longer in the future.
“We would like more people to know about its value,” Chee said. “It’s important for special-needs children to have the opportunity to participate in recreational sports.”
With regard to volunteering, Chee added, “Community engagement is so important, and I think that more people should seek out ways to get involved.”