This March, SPOT hosted another successful basketball clinic for children with special needs aged 6-12 and their siblings at Hawthorne Elementary School in Teaneck. Parents, Greg Abbruzzese and Dr. Laurel Daniels Abbruzzese organized the clinic and ran the stretches and drills. Volunteers from Columbia University's Physical Therapy Program, Girl Scout Troop 98, and the Teaneck community served as buddies and assisted the players as they worked on passing, dribbling and shooting skills in an inclusive, non-competitive environment. This year we had 24 participants and 28 volunteers (not including the SPOT leaders). The response from the participants, parents and volunteers has been overwhelmingly positive. SPOT will be discussing ideas for future clinics and would also like to partner with Teaneck's Recreation Department. A special thanks goes out to Mireille, Renee, Jorgi, Paul, Nicolette, Susan, Laurel & Diane from the SPOT Executive board for their collaborative efforts securing the space, making t-shirts, publicizing the event, making award certificates and organizing the final pizza party and cupcakes. Thank you also to the Teaneck Board of Ed and Hawthorne Principal, Vincent McHale, for allowing us to use the school gym. Thank you to Converse Inc. for supplying the basketballs in 2008 that we are still using for the clinic. Lastly, thank you to our Director of Specialized Services, Dr. Maureen Edwards, for her continued support of SPOT's mission.

If you would like to stay informed regarding future SPOT sponsored events, please be sure to become a member. Membership is free, but tax-deductable donations are encouraged.