Starting as a dream in response to a major concern facing WesCare consumers, the Special Hoops organization and tournament has now fully come to fruition.
Special Hoops is a nonprofit organization, the community outreach arm of Mental Health Services of NC in conjunction with WesCare Professional Services. It emerged as a way to create exciting and inclusive competitive sporting opportunities for the consumers in our care. Recognizing a need and working to address that need led to the official formation of Special Hoops in 2014.
Both a nonprofit and an event, the inaugural Special Hoops tournament took place Saturday, April 30, 2016, at Spears YMCA. The turnout included children and adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities from the WesCare family and throughout the broader Piedmont Triad community. Members of the WesCare staff, as well as coaches and players of the Greensboro Warriors AAU Youth Basketball team, participated as mentors, teaching game fundamentals and offering guidance and support.
Participants learned basketball basics, built on existing skills, and played competitive games–all while having fun and developing lasting friendships with each other and the workers and volunteers. It was such a hit that tournament players and their families are already seeking to sign up for the next one. This is the first tournament of its kind, that links individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities with typically-abled members of the AAU Youth Basketball organization.
We’d like to thank everyone for your help putting together this monumental event, including our sponsors, staff, the Greensboro Warriors, our consumers and their families, tournament participants, and more. Without your hard work, contributions, and commitment to our mission, none of this would have been possible.
Take a look at the video below to learn more about Special Hoops, and gain a glimpse into the first-ever 3-on-3 Special Hoops Basketball Tournament.
For additional information, visit the Special Hoops website. Refer back often for updates.