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The Riverside Hawks Program has been a staple in the Harlem community since it was created in 1961. Our mission is to provide improve the lives, academic opportunities, and career prospects of young people in our community, using sports as a vehicle. Especially now as we emerge from two crisis, the COVID 19 pandemic and demand for social justice, the work of the Riverside Hawks is even more necessary and needed. Almost 70% of our participants come from the Washington Heights, Harlem, and Bronx neighborhoods. Almost 80% of them come from family households categorized as low to moderate-income.
With this in mind, we are looking forward to celebrating 61-years of service to our community and honoring those who have made this program such a success. On December 13, 2022, we will hold our central fundraising event, the Riverside Hawks Annual Gala, at The Mandarin Oriental. The reception begins at 6:30 pm followed by dinner and the program at 7:30 pm. It will go virtual if need be. All COVID protocols will be updated accordingly.
Maurice DuBois (Co-Anchor of CBS News) returns as our host for the evening.
The Riverside Hawks provide comprehensive basketball instruction and academic support to over 600 children beginning in kindergarten through high school. Our elite-level boys and girls basketball teams play in nationally recognized showcase tournaments and rank among the top teams in the nation. The strength of our basketball program is legendary and nationally recognized. Throughout our rich 60-year history, our alumni roster has expanded to include such well known individuals as Donovan Mitchell, Ty Jerome, Eric Paschal, Chris Mullin, Tiny Archibald, Kenny Smith, Kenny Anderson, Ed Pinckney, Metta World Peace, Elton Brand, and Malik Sealy.
We are extremely proud of the athletic achievements of our students. However, our core mission remains focused on helping students attain better academic outcomes and career opportunities. In addition to the academic guidance we provide, we have granted over $120,000 in high school scholarships over the last two years. Our students have excelled both on and off the court.
