A Week of Adventure

What a Difference a Week Can Make! More than 100 under-served middle schoolers. One amazing six-day summer adventure. A lifetime of benefits. Each summer, Sophie Gerson Healthy Youth (SGHY) partners with public schools in NYC to provide under-served middle school students with the opportunity to get away from the sweltering city. For those whose families can’t afford activities like camps or vacation, experiencing a week full of firsts can be life-changing; SGHY ensures they have… Continue reading

Thank You for Summer Camp 2022

You Made It Happen! Six days of summer camp can be a big deal for any kid. For children whose families can’t afford activities like camps or vacation, experiencing a week full of firsts can be life-changing: swimming in a lake, holding a frog, or seeing a nighttime sky filled with stars. Sophie Gerson Healthy Youth (SGHY) coordinates and funds two yearly summer camps – Camp Zeke sleepaway the Kids of Summer day camp. This… Continue reading

Sophie’s Stars

Sophie's Stars 2016 team was young but fierce.

They didn’t win the playoffs in March, but Sophie’s Stars gave the Greenwich House-Malakoff Girls Basketball League lots of heart and a ton of enthusiasm. This year’s team was possibly the youngest in the league, though it would be hard to say they weren’t familiar with the game or lacked enthusiasm to master all the right plays.  What was most remarkable, however, is how well they understood the concept of team play.  Their offense was… Continue reading

Spring Benefit Delivers on Summer Camp

This Year’s Spring Benefit Tops Its Goal  A trendy restaurant lounge on the far West Side in the 30s actually sports a mini-basketball court. When it’s Walt “Clyde” Frazier’s place — Clyde Frazier’s Wine and Dine — that’s what you get, and it was an appropriate venue for the 2015 spring benefit for Sophie Gerson Healthy Youth….Tequila Minsky, The Villager, May 28th, 2015 Honored at the event were Walt Frazier; Steve Ashkinazy – an L.G.B.T.rights pioneer; Pastor… Continue reading

Sophie’s Stars at the 2015 Playoff

It was a very exciting day for Sophie’s Stars at the Greenwich House/Malakoff Girls Basketball League Playoff.   Though they didn’t win the playoff on Saturday, March 14th, everybody recognized their powerful back court skills and shining team spirit, right down to the purple and yellow face paint! And the award luncheon, where everybody is a winner, was a pretty impressive event, too. The team:  Top Row from left to right: Coach Ashley Contreras, Annie… Continue reading

SGHY Spring Benefit Date Set

The SGHY Spring Benefit will be held on Tuesday, May 12th, 2015, at Clyde Frazier’s Wine and Dine, 485 Tenth Avenue, from 6:30 to 9:00 PM. This year’s awardees include basketball legend Walt Clyde Frazier; Steve Ashkinazy, Former CB#2 Manhattan Youth Committee Chair and long-time advocate for LGBT youth; Pedro Cardi, founder of the Latino College Scholarship Fund and International Brotherhood of Teamsters advocate; Michael Fortenbaugh, Commodore of the Manhattan Yacht Club and Sailing School (which teaches young people sailing skills every… Continue reading

Girls Basketball: Sophie’s Stars…The Real Deal

In Girls Basketball, Sophie’s Stars are the real deal We had the chance to watch 11 young women, ages 10 to 12 play some serious basketball on January 17.  They are Sophie’s Stars for the 2015 season and come from all five Boroughs of New York to play in the Greenwich House/Malakoff Girls Basketball League.  Their coaches Ashley Contreras and Dana Brown are justifiably proud of them, as you can see from our slideshow. [cincopa… Continue reading

Tennis and Basketball Day-Camp in Riverside Park

Kids of Summer Day Camp

Sixteen of our Bronx students this summer were enrolled at Tennis and Basketball Day-Camp in Riverside Park where they had intense basketball or tennis instruction, on the Hudson.  The Kids of Summer, one of the City’s top-quality day camps in connection with the Riverside Park Conservancy provided the instruction and facilities, and also generously discounted the cost.  SGHY arranged for transportation and remaining tuition.  Our kids came away with new skills, new confidence, new friends… Continue reading

Basketball Sleepaway Camp with Team First at Knox Boarding School

Sophie Gerson Healthy Youth - Ty Grant

 SGHY sponsored eight campers, four from each of our schools (MS 302 and MS 126), for a basketball sleepaway camp.  Retired NBA and St. Johns basketball star Tyrone Grant and his Team First coaches provided intense basketball training.  In addition, our inner-city kids —  many for the first time – experienced boating, swimming, and interacted with nature at Knox Boarding School on Long Island’s North Shore, as well as making a bunch of new friends.… Continue reading