The mission of the Riverside Hawks is to help the students and families in our community use basketball to pursue academic opportunities and promote character development. We do this through a partnership among students, parents, educators and coaches that helps our young people achieve their academic aspirations at the high school and college level.
The Riverside Hawks academic/athletic program is a year-round organization serving more than 300 boys and girls who live primarily in the New York Metropolitan area. Founded in 1961, the Riverside Hawks have long been nationally recognized for its success and leadership in the field of youth development. The Riverside Hawks promote athletic achievement, educational excellence and character development for our student athletes.
We accomplish our goals by:
- Providing academic guidance and support through our afterschool and tutoring programs.
- Working with our young people to establish and achieve their short- and long-term personal goals.
- Promoting the development of strong moral character and the value of fair play.
- Offering a support system to our families to ensure our young people become successful in all of their pursuits.
Together, this program creates a foundation and support system for young people by giving them the necessary tools needed to ensure success in all their pursuits. The Hawks have a tremendous reputation for supporting academic excellence, with over a 90% college attendance rate, and the organization has been nationally recognized.
The success of our program is evident in the number of alumni who have gone on to academic success in college and athletic success in college and in the NBA. Several hundred former Riverside Hawks have gone on to play professional basketball, including in the NBA. These include Tiny Archibald, Kenny Smith, Kenny Anderson, Malik Sealy, Chris Mullin, Rod Strickland, Elton Brand, and many others.
The Riverside Hawks operates under the auspices of the Riverside Hawks Hope Health and Hoops, Inc., a 501©3 not-for-profit corporation.