By Melanie Petrucci, Senior Community Reporter
Photo/submitted
Northborough – The Northborough Challenger Basketball Program concluded Feb. 13 at ForeKicks in Marlborough. The six-week program offered children with a variety of disabilities an opportunity to play the sport.
“Tonight, we are going to do a trophy party; all the kids will get a trophy,” said Coach Jim Furlong, adding that they try to pair the players with their own buddy who is a peer helper for the participant. The program is a win-win for both player and buddies.
“Challenger is one of our most successful recreation programs in my 16 years working here,” Recreation Director Allie Lane said. “We have over 40 participants and well over 40 buddies that play each season. The Fidrych Foundation donates all the funds to support this program. It is free to all participants thanks to this generous donation.”
The Challenger Program provides both boys and girls with physical and developmental challenges, ages 5 to 18 (or the completion of high school), the opportunity to participate in an organized sport. The most fundamental goal of the program is to give everyone a chance to play. You do not have to be a Northborough Resident to participate.
John and Beth Morse are parents to 17-year-old Sam, a junior at Algonquin Regional High School on the autism spectrum. He is a participant and his younger brother William, 14, is a buddy on the team.
“For kids who are on the autism spectrum, they don’t have a lot of natural fluid social relationships like most high school kids, so this is a structured time where he is around other kids his age and where he is interacting with typical kids,” John Morse said.
The program has been of benefit to both of the Morse boys.
As basketball winds down, baseball is gearing up. Sign-ups for baseball are starting now on Northborough Recreation’s website: www.northboroughrecreation.com.
