Message from Deputy Mayor Ellen Zimmerman | April 27, 2023
During our most recent council meeting, we had the honor to highlight the Wolves Basketball Academy – a tremendous community service in Scotch Plains. It is a particularly important time to spotlight Wolves as April is Autism Acceptance Month.
I have known Jeff and Karen Mayerson, the founders of the academy, for most of the 20+ years I have lived in this town. I have witnessed the many ways this program has helped children living with and those living without disabilities since the fall of 2013, when Wolves played its first game. My family has proudly served as volunteers with the organization for a number of years.
Wolves got its start when the family’s oldest son, Brett, shadowed a boy in a local basketball league. Jeff and Karen quickly realized that children living with disabilities were not being provided equitable opportunities to play with their peers.
Jeff and Karen began organizing basketball clinics on Saturday mornings at the Newmark School, Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School and the JCC. After four years, the family decided it was time for children living with disabilities to play on teams amongst their peers.
They launched an inclusion league, in which the Wolves Basketball Academy welcomed in children living without disabilities to join in the fun. I can’t begin to describe the smiles on the faces of these young players, as children played together in full-court games with referees and cheering crowds. The sportsmanship has been incredible to watch, as all the players enjoy the comradery and team pride that comes from the sport of basketball.
The league started with six inclusive teams. Within just two years of starting Wolves Basketball Academy, there were more than 20 teams in middle school and high school divisions. The inclusion league has played at IHM Church and the Newmark School, both in Scotch Plains.
The inclusionary clinics, and the competitive basketball games, have been a home away from home for hundreds of children living with disabilities. Moreover, the program has built lasting relationships among the parents of children living with disabilities. Parents have also used the sidelines to share information and learn from one another.
Wolves is now celebrating a decade of service to Scotch Plains, one of the many reasons the Township Council was so eager to present them with a resolution at our last council meeting.
The effect of this league has been both heartwarming and lasting. For example, there are two high school seniors who volunteer with Wolves and took their experience one step further several years ago by launching an afterschool inclusion club. After observing the Mayersons and a legion of adult and teenaged volunteers making such a positive impact in the lives of kids, they wanted to share that experience in our middle schools and the high school.
The Wolves’ inclusion clinics now average about 40 young athletes and 12-15 volunteer athletes per week. Support from our community continues to grow. I was thrilled to learn the Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School boys’ basketball teams routinely attends a couple of Wolves’ clinics every year to help, while many other young people in Scotch Plains are also experiencing the infectious benefit of giving back to such a wonderful cause.
Wolves Basketball Academy provides scholarships to families who cannot afford the clinic fee, as well as an annual scholarship to honor a “Volunteer of the Year.” Fundraising is a critical component; a job the Mayerson family organizes. I recall a fundraiser at Shackamaxon in November 2019, for example, that raised $23,000 for the academy.
Outside of our community, others have taken notice of Wolves. For example, Jeff was named one of the top six finalists for Junior Knicks Coach of the Year. I want to thank Jeff and Karen, along with the many volunteers over the past 10 years, who have made lifelong impacts as members of the Wolves Basketball Academy teams.
The benefit in our community has been astounding. I wish the absolute best for Wolves as it looks toward the next 10 years of service to Scotch Plains and thank the Mayerson family for making such a lasting difference.
Learn more here: wolvesbasketballacademy.com
