PACE HS BASKETBALL Barclay Center

Im a coach / teacher of PACE HS which is small school located in NYC.  I grew up in NYC but went to school in Long Island (WALT WHITMAN HS).  Here I had an amazing academic and athletic tenure.  Multiple gymnasiums, booster paid uniforms & warm ups, resources, and fields.  Being a person with city roots, love for kids that need help, and my 50% Chinese heritage I wanted to give back to a type of community that I work in today.  PACE HS is located in Chinatown and I was one of the founding teachers.  We had ZERO athletics and ZERO opportunity for extended athletic involvement before or after school.  To me this was criminal especially because I had the opposite.  I couldn't believe that the experience I had which helped me become a productive and honorable person did not exist.  I started the first team through the YMCA and from there I managed to do whatever it took to create a sports program that was not only good enough but one that matched the privilege I had in Long Island.  I reformed my gym and found fields , made sure they had HOME & AWAY uniforms (which most schools dont have), found ways to get prideful artifacts of our teams, proper equipment, and spent every hour possible (including Saturdays) to teach these kids how to play the right way on and off the court.  We had study halls to improve grades, standards that smashed the usual culture of failure for inner city kids, and demanded that my students raise the bar of their own expectations ensuring that they knew the impossible to them was indeed possible. 

OVER 15 years of work we now have PSAL (Public School Athletic League) X-country Girls / Boys, Varsity basketball Girls / Boys, Varsity Volleyball Girls / Boys, Girls Varsity Softball, Girls Varsity Track & Field, L.E.S Co-Ed soccer, JV Basketball, and Cheerleading.  They ALL have the PROPER uniforms, warm ups, equipment, and playing resources.  THIS ALL from the very first YMCA team.   The once AFTER SCHOOL graveyard of silence is now an energetic prideful athletic program.  

WE ARE FULLY 100% inclusive which is SO RARE.  We are a storybook program as we have kids  of all sizes, races, and abilities . Grades go up daily and kids stay out of trouble hourly.  So many of them are doing so well when they leave

The reason why I’m doing a GOFUNDME is because the once upon a time young teacher I used to be is getting older.  As I try to let go of some responsibilities, I see kids getTING negatively affected and I pull myself back in.  FOR A DECADE I walked around with a HEALTHY snack cart selling HEALTHY snacks to raise the money I needed for these programs. I would teach, then coach, then go to BJ's, and then do what I needed to do to store the items and then sell the items.  Now that I have two kids of my own, not to mention my age, I CAN NOT do what I used to do.  Im trying to maintain with the help of many many alumni ex athletes but finances are getting really hard.  I actually to to compensate those that help with a t-shirt or some kind of athletic ware. You would think they would cringe that they receive cotton rather than green paper, but they do the opposite . The pride and smile from these most helpful alumni are another reason to why I just want more. Education is expensive , especially with the needs of the inner city, so The school does not have the extra money needed to help in the way that I expressed earlier so Im not sure what do other than this.  I have never done a GO FUND ME but I hear great things. I DO NOT WANT PEOPLE TO FEEL OBLIGATED as it’s not about taking from those that need. For those that know me , they know I don’t ask for help .i hate receiving help from those that need help . This is the major part of my sleepless reservation.

This brings me to my current situation.   WE have been invited to play at the Barclay Center (NBA NETS) and this opportunity is beyond my dreams from that very first YMCA TEAM.  It's part of  a diversity program that they're doing to make sure small schools get the same opportunity as the BIG GREAT schools. Leveling the playing field is usually not practiced but preached in this crazy little city.

We have worked so hard to become good enough to play at this level but finances are holding me back from giving this very special gift to very special kids. 

In order to play we need to sell 125 tickets at $25 per ticket.  We are a small school and a title one program which basically means the families of our school don't have money.  Im hoping to purchase 50% of these tickets ($1,250) and buy them warm ups to memorialize this event.  The warm ups are going to cost about a $1,000.  I didnt want to get greedy as we need more for our teams in regards to uniforms and fees, but if this BARCLAYS event was able to happen it would be the best present I could ever give to these amazing kids.  This would be the best memory for most of my players and cheer girls, maybe even ever in their precious and meaningful lives. I think we take for granted memories , as most of us act as if every young kid gets the plethora and/or quantity we have or will have one day ....

I really hope this doesn’t sound greedy as I know there’s of course so many others that need more . I really do try to do the right thing with these kids ....