For 66 years, the Riverside Hawks have believed basketball is more than a game. That is evident in the organization’s programming, which encompasses education, leadership and opportunity for boys and girls. On Nov. 2 at The Pool + The Grill in Manhattan, Riverside hosted its annual Power of the Game Gala.
This year’s honorees were Wendy Short Bartie, executive vice president and chief corporate affairs officer, Bristol Myers Squibb; Terri Carmichael Jackson, executive director of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association; William H. Masterson III, co-founder, Believe Entertainment Group; and Derek Richardson, retired NBA official, educator and school founder.
“The whole ethos of what Riverside Hawks are trying to do is about how sport can elevate you,” said Masterson, executive producer of the late Kobe Bryant’s Academy Award-winning animated short “Dear Basketball.” “I hope someone finds something here tonight that influences them and maybe makes them remember that whether it’s being a better teammate, student, supporter, or friend, this is an event that really drives that home.”
Years ago, Jackson’s son, Jaren Jackson Jr., now a center on the Utah Jazz, played in a tournament hosted by the Riverside Hawks. “Fast forward to this event, the Riverside Hawks have a girls’ program, and they have been talking about honoring somebody who’s kind of blazed a trail for women and girls in sport, and I’m one of the fortunate people to be considered,” she said. “I’m very happy to be here, and very happy to have a special connection to the organization.”
Rev. Charlene A. Wingate, a member of the clergy at Riverside Church, the home base for the Riverside Hawks, offered a blessing for the gala. “This evening is an opportunity to highlight and encourage our youth and celebrate their accomplishments as they grow into the wonderful beings they will be,” said Wingate. “The Hawks are an investment in character and soul.”
Comedian Chuck Nice emceed the evening. “What I love is the fact that the Riverside Hawks have taken something that is stereotypically the escape hatch for so many in my community and they’ve turned it into a ladder to success through academics,” he said.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the Riverside Hawks are a great partner in the Saturday Night Lights program that his office started to provide youth development and violence prevention through sports and fitness training. “I’m here to support that partnership,” said Bragg. “We want to be on the front end providing opportunities.”
