Havin’ A Ball: ‘Shooting Stars’ Opens Game to Those with Special Needs

Shooting Stars players and volunteers

On July 6, the skies opened up, rain was pouring down in buckets, and the Dealy Field Basketball Courts were not playable. A 5:30pm practice had been scheduled for the Shooting Stars, a new basketball program run by the Sea Isle City Recreation Department that is giving children and young adults with special needs a chance to shine.

The two handed bounce pass perfected.

But, on that day, it looked like a washout. Christie Ostrander, assistant to the director of community services for Sea Isle City, ushered her soaking wet employees to their cars. There was no choice. The program was officially called off until the following week.

Mother Nature had other plans.

About a half-hour later, the rain stopped. A group of volunteers waiting it out were championed by head volunteer Mary Shields, who organized a dozen or so Shooting Stars players into drills and skills, pairing them with young adult and adult volunteers.

Eventually, the sun came out. The day in question was salvaged … even if it was an unofficial practice.

One mother standing courtside looked on, smiling as her 11-year-old was enjoying the interaction of the volunteers. There were Walter and Mary Joe Tyson, grandparents of Colin, who couldn’t stop gushing about the opportunity. “He’s being homeschooled,” says Walter. “And what you don’t get is this interaction.” Mary Joe adds, “It’s awesome.”

Mary Shields and daughter Liz

Mikey Monichetti was making basket after basket. Swish! He was engaged with the volunteers. And as he and his sister Kara participated along with the other players, it was clear to onlookers that something very special would be taking place on Wednesday nights from 5:30-6:30 from June 29 through Aug. 31.

“The City of Sea Isle should be commended,” says Mike Monichetti, father of Mikey and Kara, and the owner of Mike’s Seafood.

“Mayor Len Desiderio and Business Administrator George Savastano, and the whole City should be proud they have an event like this,” says Monichetti, whose nonprofit, Mike’s Seafood Run/Walk for Autism, is a sponsor of Shooting Stars. So are The Deauville Inn, Yesterday’s Creekside Tavern, Team Desiderio, the Dreyer family, and the Shields family. Individual donations are also appreciated and accepted.

With the sponsors’ donations, uniform shirts are purchased. The players will be given a medal and a certificate of participation. Sponsor donations also pay for all of the equipment. And the staff from the Sea Isle City Recreation Department is compensated by the City of Sea Isle.

“I will be there every week,” Ostrander says. “One of our interns, from DeSales University, Erin Elinski, this is part of her internship. Billy Kehner Jr., he is a recreational aide. And then some different people volunteer each week. I have to say the most humbling part is that it’s beautiful to see those kids having fun. And the amount of young people coming out to volunteer. These are 10-, 11- and 12-year-old kids, coming out to work with kids with disabilities. What it does to your heart.”

The Sea Isle City Police Department steps in to lend a helping hand.

Ostrander notes that the recreation department sets up the baskets, the tables for people to sign in, and brings out the balls and equipment.

She has a deep affection for children with disabilities. She previously was a member of a school board where she fought for special-needs kids to have inclusion. So, when Mayor Leonard Desiderio was approached by Mary Shields with the idea of Shooting Stars, he asked Ostrander and Katherine Custer to see about making the idea a reality. Custer is the director of the Department of Community Services and Public Relations/Recreation and Tourism.

“We worked with Paul Baldini, our solicitor,” Ostrander says. “Any donations that came, would come through Mike’s Seafood Walk/Run for Autism. We needed a nonprofit to filter donations because the City cannot take donations.”

In addition to being grateful for the City embracing the basketball program, Monichetti also gives a lot of the credit for the Shooting Stars to Shields.

“I applaud Mary Shields and her efforts to help bring a program to Sea Isle to make children with disabilities feel included by having a sports program for them,” he says. “What it does for children with disabilities, it gives a lot of these kids an opportunity they wouldn’t necessarily have.”

Says Shields: “There is no cost. And each player gets a uniform shirt to wear for practice. We focus on movement, social friendship, and sportsmanship. We do skills and drills, relay races. Every week something different. It is not a competitive league. It is more a fun, drop-in social movement. And the beauty is while the children are practicing, the parents sit on the sidelines and they can interact with one another. It’s a nice opportunity.”

The idea for the program had its genesis in 2010 with Shields’ daughter Liz, who was 16 and a high school sophomore at the time. Liz was attending her 10-year-old brother’s baseball games, and she couldn’t help but notice Dylan, a family friend with special needs. He was standing off to the side, and frustrated. While the other boys were enjoying the camaraderie of being on an organized sports team, Dylan was feeling left out. “Liz,” he said, “I want a team, and I want a trophy.”

Individual attention is part of the fun with Shooting Stars.

Liz came up with an idea. What if there was a sports program for kids like Dylan, and other special-needs children? With the support of her mother, Liz sprang into action. She approached Spring Valley YMCA in Royersford, Pa., and soon a basketball program called “The Shooting Stars” was falling into place.

“So, the Spring Valley YMCA operates the Pennsylvania program, and we brought the idea to Sea Isle,” Mary Shields says. “Mike’s Seafood Run/Walk for Autism gave the program in Sea Isle nonprofit status. And the Sea Isle City Recreation Department is in charge.”

It is an ongoing team. Practice will be every Wednesday in the summer. Players can come once or every week. And so, the flexibility of the program is that players vacationing for the whole summer or just a week can feel equally welcome at Shooting Stars.

Volunteers over the age of 18 go through a vetting process for the safety of the players.

“You really have to see the program in action,” Ostrander says. “It’s a humbling experience. I hope everyone comes out to see it.”

And to think, it’s all due to a chance encounter with a young boy named Dylan. Liz Shields was inspired to make a difference for kids. And in a true full-circle moment, Liz, who attended Kutztown University, is now an eighth-grade social studies/special education teacher.

Today, the City of Sea Isle City’s Shooting Stars program is making a difference in young people’s lives, one basketball at a time.

Kelley Price and her son Brady are among those volunteers.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” he says. “But it turned out to be just fun.”