HIGH EXPECTATIONS, Inc.New Jersey Hawks

MEMBERSHANDBOOK

Table of Contents

1. Mission Statement Page 12. Introduction Page 13. NJ Hawks Sports Programs Page 34. Basketball Page 45. Soccer Page 56. Swimming Page 67. Softball Page 78. Bowling Page 89. Volleyball Page 910. Bocce Page 1011. Tennis Page 1112. Golf Page 1213. NJ Hawks Sports Philosophy and Policies Page 1314. NJ Hawks Social Programs Page 1515. The HEI Organization Page 1716. HEI / NJ Hawks Going Forward Page 19

MISSION STATEMENT: High Expectations is dedicated to the advancement of the “whole person” by providing developmentally disabled individuals access to athletic, recreational and social activities to supplement their educational and vocational growth. Furnishing this access will enable disabled individuals to fully mature as “well-rounded” citizens and provide the foundation for a healthy more complete life enabling them to contribute more completely to the society in which they live.

Introduction

Welcome to the High Expectations, Inc. / New Jersey Hawks organization. This handbook was created to give you a.) a little back ground on our organization b.) an overview of the organization today and c.) An idea of where we would like to see HEI go in the future.

HEI is an idea founded by Mr. Stephen Smith and Mrs. Diane Heitmeyer who still sits on our board today and holds the title of HEI Secretary. Mr. Stephen Smith was the first Director of the HEI board after receiving its 501 (c) (3) status in 2009 and has since retired from the board of HEI. The organization started as a loosely knit group of parents and their athletes with disabilities. There were 7 athletes and their families who got together at the request of Stephen and Diane to form a soccer team which would compete under the flag of Special Olympics New Jersey as the New Jersey Hawks. The first soccer season was such a success that The New Jersey Hawks immediately added a basketball team with the same 7 players. By the second season both teams had grown to full rosters of 10 players and by word of mouth has grown to an organization that is today 80 families strong and growing. As the New Jersey Hawks we now field 7 basketball teams, 4 soccer teams, a full swim team, a softball team, bowling league, a volleyball team, a bocce team and most recently a golf team.

All of our coaches volunteer their time and many are parents having players on their teams.

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While all our teams compete in Special Olympics New Jersey organized leagues, tournaments and venues, it is important to note that the HEI / NJ Hawks organization is independent of SONJ.

In addition to our sports programs the HEI / NJ Hawks organization also provides a rather extensive social program, which includes dances with professional DJ’s, an end of year picnic for member families and friends, and many special events.

All this in keeping with our commitment to the advancement of the whole person helping them to mature as well rounded individuals.

As a 501 (C) (3) organization in addition to our large volunteer group we depend on donations and fund raisers to generate the monies necessary to continue providing our members with our current portfolio of sports and social programs.

As you may have already calculated, the $100.00 yearly membership fee alone cannot provide the necessary funds to support the programs we provide for our members. Therefore as an organization we generate donations from local and national companies who to date have been very generous with their support to HEI/NJ Hawks. Additionally once or twice a year HEI/NJ Hawks will organize our own fund raisers and ask our members to sell items such as Yankee Candles to help raise much needed funds. To date our organization has been lucky enough to have a great membership roster willing to work on a volunteer basis so that 100% of the funds raised are utilized to provide our members with these programs.

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NJ Hawks Sports Programs

As of today The NJ Hawks field teams competing in 8 major sports, and if there is interest, in the future we could add others.

We need to note here that while all of our teams are competitive teams, we try all possible ways to ensure that we turn no one away who wants to play. When teams are drawn we will try our best to place your athlete on a team which is playing to or near your athlete’s level so that he or she has the best opportunity to enjoy the sport and contribute to the team.

During regular season play our coaches will try their best to ensure that all athletes receive an equal amount of playing time. Once the team enters the divisional tournament, teams will be competing to win and move on to the State Tournament. During this time it will be up to the individual coaches to monitor how their teams are playing during tournament play and how much playing time each athlete will receive depending on the situation on the field of play. We know this can sound a little harsh but believe us your athletes know exactly how the game is going, they have a much stronger desire to win and move on than you can imagine and have more team spirit than you ever dreamed, they would rather play a little less and win than play a little more and miss out on that Gold Medal.

Once you have made the decision to have your athlete join one of our teams, you will be advised of important dates such as Divisional and State tournaments. Please make sure to keep these dates open to ensure your athlete is able to participate. The athletes and coaches work very hard to get their respective teams ready to compete in these tournaments and it is simply not fair to the rest of the team if your athlete does not show up for these crucial games. We know there is sometimes a tendency to think that because your athlete may not be the most prolific player on the team they will not be missed, but this is not true. Sometimes such a player plays a critical role in giving someone else a much needed rest at a critical point in the game. In a team sport everyone has a role to play.

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Basketball

Basketball is by far our most popular sport with the largest field of players. For the 2016 – 2017 season The New Jersey Hawks fielded 7 teams with 60 players and 6 out of our 7 teams made it all the way to the State Tournament in Wildwood, NJ.

Basketball Coordinator – Mr. Derek Walker – dwalker55@comcast.net

Coaches by Team;

Blackhawks – Mr. Derek Walker – dwalker55@comcast.net

Mohawks – Mr. Ray Dodd – raymond.t.dodd@verizon.com

Tomahawks – Mr. Bob McAuliffe – robert.mcauliffe@xerox.com

Redhawks – Mr. Jim McGrath – jimmymc1@comcast.net

Grayhawks – Mr. Bob Carvajales – b.carvajales@verizon.net

Whitehawks – Mr. Tom Wisniewski – whisk8594@verizon.net

Knighthawks – Mr. Rich Fleissner – papflei2212@aol.com

The NJ Hawks typically start basketball practices at the beginning of November, one night per week. The season and actual play starts at the beginning of January with all games held at SONJ sponsored facilities in the Old Bridge, NJ area.

There is a divisional tournament typically held at the Old Bridge Middle School in Old Bridge, NJ. around the middle of March, and teams placing in the top 2 spots in their respective divisions move on to the State tournament normally held a couple of weeks later in Wildwood, NJ.

All athletes joining the New Jersey Hawks basketball program are required to purchase a team uniform.

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Soccer

The New Jersey Hawks field 4 soccer teams with approximately 38 players and is our second most popular sport and growing.

Soccer Coordinator – Mr. Bill Esler – pesler512@aol.com

Coaches by Team:

Blackhawks – Mr. Bob Carvajales – b.carvajales@verizon.net

Redhawks – Mr. Bill Esler – pesler512@aol.com

Grayhawks – Mr. Frank Vito - vitobosio22@gmail.com Whitehawks – Mr. Bob McAuliffe – robert.mcauliffe@xerox.com

Voluntary soccer practices start the beginning of July at Echo Lake Park in Mountainside, NJ normally from 6:00PM – 8:00PM on Wednesdays, and in September switch to Esposito Field in Clark, NJ. The season and actual play starts the beginning of September at Oak Ridge Park, Clark, NJ.

The Soccer season is typically about 6 games long culminating with the SONJ Fall festival held at the Lawrenceville School in Lawrenceville, NJ at the end of October where all teams compete for medal placement.

All athletes joining the New Jersey Hawks Soccer program are required to purchase a team soccer uniform

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Swimming

We started our Swim team “The Seahawks” in 2011 with 7 athletes and in 2017 the team has grown to 17 swimmers competing in 1 area meet and 1 divisional swim competition as well as the SONJ State Championship Summer Games held at the College of New Jersey.

Our Swim program is coordinated and coached by Mr. Carl Heitmeyer- cavercarl@aol.com

Swim practices are held twice per week beginning in January typically on Sunday mornings from 8:00AM – 9:30AM at the Fanwood - Scotch Plains YMCA located at 1340 Martine Ave., Scotch Plains, NJ. 07076 and on Wednesday evenings from 7:30PM to 8:30PM at the Rahway branch of the YMCA on Irving Street, Rahway, NJ. The swimming season runs from January through the SONJ State Summer Games typically held the first weekend in June. The SONJ State Summer Games are truly a spectacle not to be missed if you have the chance to go, the closest thing there is to the Olympic Games.

The Seahawks are comprised of athletes ranging in age from 10 – 30 years of age with varying levels of ability; however we do ask that athletes joining the swim team have some swimming ability already.

Additionally all athletes joining the Seahawks are required to purchase a team swim suit and tee shirt.

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Softball

The New Jersey Hawks Softball team was started in 2011 and consists of 12 athletes. The team competes in 6 weeks of regular season play beginning in early April and ending with the SONJ Summer Games usually taking place the first weekend in June.

Our Softball program is coordinated and coached by Mr. Jerry Gaeta – jerry.gaeta@merck.com

Softball practices are held 2 times per week Mondays and Wednesday’s beginning in April and typically in the evenings from 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM at the Livingston School in Cranford, NJ. and Unami Park in Cranford, NJ. The Softball season runs from April through the SONJ State Summer Games typically held the first weekend in June. The SONJ State Games are truly a spectacle not to be missed if you have the chance to go, the closest thing there is to the Olympic Games.

The Softball team is comprised of athletes ranging in age from 10 – 25 years of age with varying levels of ability.

Additionally all athletes joining the Softball team are required to purchase a team uniform.

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Bowling

The Hawks bowling league is comprised of about 25 bowlers ranging in ages from 9 – 25 years of age and varying degrees of ability. All bowlers meet on Saturday mornings from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM at Brunswick Zone Carolier Lanes 790 Route 1, New Brunswick, NJ. 08902

Our Bowling league coordinator is Mrs. Tracy Grant – traceygrant@yahoo.com

All athletes bowl 3 games per week and are basically competing against their own scores to improve their scores for placement in the Divisional tournament. The bowling season usually begins in early November and runs through the end of March when SONJ holds their Spring Sports Festival.

Tournament locations vary from year to year and are announced by SONJ sometime during the bowling season.

There is a small fee each week to pay Brunswick Zone for the 3 games and shoe rental, and as with all New Jersey Hawks sports teams athletes are required to purchase a team bowling shirt.

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Volleyball

Volleyball is another somewhat new sport for the HEI/NJ Hawks organization having ony been established in 2015.

Our Volleyball coach and coordinator is Ms. Catherine Gilio – cegilio@optonline.net

Volleyball is a team competition. Practices begin in October and take place at DLC on Central Avenue in New Providence, NJ on Thursday nights from 6:00PM to 8:00PM.

The team will compete in 6 league games in November and December before advancing to the sectional competition in January. Games are played on Saturdays at The SONJ Sports Complex in Lawrenceville, NJ as well as Powerzone in Denville, NJ. All teams advance to the SONJ Winter Games which take place in early January at the Galloway Township Middle School, Galloway, NJ.

Additionally all athletes joining the Volleyball team are required to purchase a team uniform.

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Bocce

HEI/NJ Hawks Bocce started in 2016 with 2 athletes competing. The following year, the Hawks took 12 athletes to the SONJ Summer Games.

These Athletes can compete in traditional doubles competition as well as Unified 2-person team competitions.

Our Volleyball coach and coordinator is Mrs. Rose Carvajales – rosec625@verizon.net

Practices begin in early April and are held at the Summit Recreation Center on Morris Avenue, Summit, NJ on Wednesday nights from 6:00 to 8:00PM and on Saturday mornings from 10:00AM to 12 noon and at the Brewer Recreation Center on Westfield Avenue, Clark, NJ on Tuesday nights from 6:00 to 8:00PM and Saturday mornings from 10:00AM to 12 noon. Participants are not required to attend all 4 practices. They can choose one venue or the other for their practices.

Athletes compete in one Sectional meet which takes place in early May at the SONJ Sports Complex in Lawrenceville, NJ and at the SONJ Summer Games in early June at the College of NJ, Ewing, NJ.

New Jersey Hawks Bocce team athletes are required to purchase a team shirt.

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Tennis

HEI/NJ Hawks Tennis started in 2016 with 1 athlete competing both individually and in a unified doubles match playing with his mom as his partner. The following year, the Hawks took 3 athletes to the SONJ Summer Games.

Athletes can compete in singles and doubles competitions as well as unified doubles competition.

Our Tennis coach and coordinator is Mrs. Sally Curci – sqcurci@aol.com

Individual athletes and unified partnerships compete in sectional competitions as well as the SONJ Summer Games. The sectional matches are played in late April at the Passaic County Technical Institute in Wayne, NJ. The Summer Games are played at the College of NJ in Ewing, NJ in early June.

New Jersey Hawks Tennis team athletes are required to purchase a team shirt.

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Golf

The Hawks Golf team is the latest addition to our sports programs. We are in the process of introducing Golf this year 2017 and already have between 10 – 20 athletes showing interest in the program.

Our Golf is coordinated by Mr. Jerry Gaeta – jerry.gaeta@merck.com

Athletes participate in a 9-hole alternate shot team play with a unified partner of their choosing such as a parent, sibling, relative or friend. The Unified Partner must be knowledgeable and experienced in the game and cannot be a beginner golfer.

Athletes will need to complete three rounds of 9-hole golf on their own time achieving an average score of 75 or less in order to participate in the sectional competition. The sectional competition takes place towards the end of September and has been played at the Plainfield West Nine Golf Course in Edison, NJ. Athletes then advance to the SONJ Fall Games which take place at the end of October at the Mountain View Golf Club in Ewing, NJ.

New Jersey Hawks Golf team athletes are required to purchase a team shirt.

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NJ Hawks Sports Philosophy & Policies

The NJ Hawks was founded to provide competitive recreational and social programs for children with special needs. The program has since evolved to encompass an even broader mission although participation in a variety of Special Olympics sports and leagues remain at the core of the program.

The NJ Hawks is an inclusive program, accepting all individuals who have expressed an interest in joining and we strive to serve the needs of all. Some participate in all of the sports and activities offered, some in only a single activity but all are welcome.

The Special Olympics leagues in which we compete have a variety of rules that we must adhere to, most notably roster size. In soccer and basketball, each team must have a minimum of 7 players and a maximum of 10. When assembling teams for league play coaches take into consideration a number of factors including athletic ability, age, competiveness, and ability to follow directions. Teams are composed as much as possible of players of similar ability. Attempts are always made to place classmates and friends together but ability is paramount to ensure player safety and the most positive experience for the maximum number of players. The purpose of adhering to these principles is to place the athletes in the best situation so as many as possible will derive a positive experience from the practices and games.

Coaches’ responsibilities include working with players to develop and enhance individual skills, build effective team play and increase the team’s level of competiveness. Parents must try to arrive at practices and games on time (30 minutes prior to games is a Special Olympics policy) with their children properly attired and ready to play. All children require adequate preparation time; this is particularly important for special needs children. There are no minimum playing time rules in any of the Special Olympics leagues we compete in. Regular season league games are used as a gauge to assess the appropriate competitive level of a team.

A sincere attempt is made to balance playing time over the course of a season. A player who plays most of one game will see reduced playing time in another game. In addition, the focus and attention of our players vary widely from game to game and day to day impacting their interest and ability to follow directions.

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Since this necessarily impacts the entire team, coaches have to take this into consideration during practices and games. In playoff and festival games when teams are competing for medals, the level of competition increases. In these situations, playing time will be balanced among the athletes with the goal of winning and advancing further into medal competition.

Soccer matches are 30 minutes and basketball games are 32 minutes. It is often difficult to provide everyone with substantive playing time although the coaches try hard to do so. In this light we attempt to keep the roster sizes as small as practicable and still have enough players for every game.

If a parent has any questions about the Hawks (most questions surround which team their child is placed on or the amount of playing time a child gets) they should feel free to contact the coach. Contact after a practice is the best time to speak with a coach to discuss any issues. Of course an email or phone calls are appropriate or when both parties can conveniently meet. Typically, immediately after a game is not the best time to discuss playing time. Also, since we try to balance playing time over the course of a season, focusing upon a single game is not an accurate way to gauge many issues like playing time. If resolution of an issue cannot be achieved by speaking with a coach, a parent should feel free to contact the individual in charge of the specific sport or ultimately, our Local Training Program Coordinator.

The efforts of coaches and many other volunteers are vital to the growth and success of the New Jersey Hawks. All of these efforts are focused upon the appropriate athletic and social development of our athletes. We ask all participants and parents to support these efforts and to please “assume good will” when contacting coaches or volunteers.

The Local Training Program (LTP) Coordinators for the NJ Hawks are;

Mr. Derek Walker – dwalker55@comcast.net

Mr. Bob Carvajales – b.carvajales@verizon.net

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HEI/NJ Hawks Social Programs

At High Expectations, Inc. / NJ Hawks we are committed to helping our members develop not only their athletic skills but their social skills as well. To this end we sponsor a wide variety of events during the course of the year. Events sponsored are:

Dances which include pizza, soft drinks and professional DJ music. HEI plans several dance events during the course of the year, typically we have a Halloween dance where all are encouraged to wear their favorite Halloween costume, a Valentine’s Day dance, Spring Fling and Blastoff to Summer.

Craft night which is great fun with a variety of arts and crafts projects for our members to create and take home for themselves or to give as gifts.

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Movie night

HEI/NJ Hawks bring in a projector and a suitable movie for all to enjoy along with snacks, soft drinks and. . . what movie night would be complete without popcorn.

End of Year Friends and Family Day Picnic

All member’s families and friends are invited to our end of the year picnic. Each family brings a side dish and HEI/NJ Hawks provides the venue, hamburgers and hotdogs and a professional DJ. This event usually takes place at the end of May. HEI also uses this as the trophy ceremony for it’s members.

Special Events

Members are invited to enjoy special events sponsored by the HEI/NJ Hawks. Past events have included trips to see Knicks Games, the Harlem Globetrotters, Somerset Patriot games, Rutgers Basketball games, the Statue of Liberty, as well as going to Monmouth Park Race Track and Medievel Times just to name a few.

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The HEI Organization

HEI/NJ Hawks is a 501 (c) (3) organization comprised of a volunteer four (4) person Board of Directors which steer the organization and oversee the day to day business for its members.

The current board members are;

Mr. Derek Walker – President

Mr. Robert (Bob) Carvajales – Vice President

Mrs. Diane Heitmeyer – Secretary

Mrs. Patti Esler – Treasurer

HEI / NJ Hawks is currently set up in committees which are responsible for researching, organizing, budgeting, reporting to the directors and ultimately executing their area of responsibility.

Current HEI / NJ Hawks committees include;

Membership committee – Chairperson - Mrs. Diane Wisniewski – whisk8594@verizon.net

Social Committee- Chairperson – Mrs. Diane Heitmeyer – dianeheit@gmail.com

Fundraising Committee- Chairperson – Mrs. Tracey Walker – traceywalker1108@aol.com

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Community Outreach Committee- Chairperson – Mrs. Barbara Gilio – gilio@optonline.net

Housing / Vocational Committee- Chairperson – Waiting to be filled

IT / Webmaster Committee- Chairperson – Waiting to be filled

If you have an interest in volunteering to help on one of the listed committees please feel free to contact the committee chairperson and express your interest.

If there is no chairperson currently listed for a particular committee and you are interested in volunteering for the chairperson position please contact one of the directors to further discuss your interest.

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HEI/NJ Hawks Going ForwardIn the future, we expect to bring our members even more programs and resources to draw from. Some of the programs we envision for the future include;

a) Making resources available to our members to help them better understand this complex system of state and federal programs which are available to families of children with disabilities.

b) Bringing in professionals from legal counsel and state agencies to educate and help our members navigate and understand their rights as parents of children with disabilities.

c) Helping make our member families aware of the many resources and programs available through a centralized data base of information available only to our member families.

d) Establishing an ongoing working relationship with local business partners and other existing programs to help our disabled members find employment.

e) Establishing Group Homes for our disabled members so they may experience semi-independent living conditions.

These are just some of the programs we currently envision.

Since the organization is comprised of families of children with disabilities of all ages it is a safe bet to say that many of us have already been where you are today. We have already felt the frustration of having to dig through a system which is loaded with programs for our children yet seems almost intentional to make those impossible to find. It is our hope to build on the experiences of our current membership to make it a little easier for the next generation of HEI/NJ Hawks members to uncover the resources they need.

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High Expectations, Inc.

P. O. Box 5403, Clark, NJ. 07066

www.highexpectationsinc.org

HEIMHV6-071317