One of our main goals is to do our part in shaping and preparing young athletes for life after high school. There are many necessary life skills that are no longer mandatory to teach in schools and parents are not present enough to instill those lessons in their children. Throughout the course of our program, the junior coaches (high school athletes) will be taking mandatory seminar to obtain some of the important life skills. Here are a few examples of what they may learn throughout the duration of the program:
- Money Management
- Resume Building
- Mock Interviews
- Simple Mechanics
- Dealing with Peer Pressure
- NCAA Requirements
- Options for the Future
One of our main goals is to do our part in shaping and preparing young athletes for life after high school. There are many necessary life skills that are no longer mandatory to teach in schools and parents are not present enough to instill those lessons in their children. Throughout the course of our program, the junior coaches (high school athletes) will be taking mandatory seminar to obtain some of the important life skills. Here are a few examples of what they may learn throughout the duration of the program:
- Money Management
- Resume Building
- Mock Interviews
- Simple Mechanics
- Dealing with Peer Pressure
- NCAA Requirements
- Options for the Future
About Us
Athletes Unite Against Adversity was established in April of 2018 and ran the first program in fall of 2019. Our program was a free 8-week after-school sports program that consisted of basketball, soccer and flag football instruction. We worked with elementary students from Park Place School in Norfolk, VA and provided a very structured, active program for our kiddos.
For our first program we had 8 participants the first week and grew to 23 participants by the third week. We had the amazing opportunity to see our kids grow tremendously throughout our 8-week program. There were some kids that could not even complete a lap around the gym on week 1, couldn't make a basket in basketball drills and had a really difficult time focusing and listening, but by week 8 they were completing 3 laps without an issue, making baskets in scrimmages and had just improved overall with listening / following directions.
Our main goal is to provide a safe, structured, educational, fun space for our participants because we understand that many of the kids do not have the opportunity to participate in organized sports due to transportation or cost constraints.
Our next step is to run our first free virtual Leadership / Life-Skills Program for high schoolers in the Norfolk, VA area for fall 2020. This program will run for 10 weeks and will include instruction, interactive activities and guest speakers each week.
Our programs will continue to grow and expand to new schools, but we will ensure that we do not expand too quickly to guarantee we're providing the best quality programs possible. We value quality over quantity because we understand the positive impact that we're able to make on each and every one of our participants.
Meet Our Team
We started this journey as a group of individuals that have either been directly impacted by the positive affects of athletics, or understand the importance of sports and how it can mold youth into their future selves. We have grown into a team that is dedicated to using athletics as a platform to provide free after-school programs for kids in low-income / at-risk areas and to prepare young athletes for life after high school, while assisting them with becoming the best version of themselves.
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Angel Horowitz
President
Angel Horowitz is originally from Bushkill, Pennsylvania and currently resides in Norfolk, VA. She graduated from Virginia Wesleyan College with a degree in Recreation and Leisure Studies: Management Track and graduated from Liberty University with a Master's Degree in Sports Management. She has worked at the Virginia Beach Field House as the Assistant General Manager and Sports Director for the last 4 years and has recently just started her new career with the MWR as a Community Recreation Specialist.
Ever since college Angel has known that her calling is to implement programs that will provide people with their best memories and and also lay the foundation to set the youth up for success. Her goal for this organization is to be able to provide resources and guidance to as many possible young people as possible. Although we're starting off in Norfolk, VA her goal is to expand to various cities across the country and to help others get this program up and running.
Joby Lefever
Vice President
Joby Lefever is originally from Manheim, Pennsylvania and currently resides in Alexandria, Virginia. She graduated from Virginia Wesleyan University with a B.A. in Recreation & Leisure Studies: Therapeutic Recreation Track. Before graduating, Joby passed her NCTRC exam and is a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist. She currently work for the DOD as a contractor. She works at Fort Belvoir at the Warrior Transition Battalion as a Recreation Therapist.
Joby decided to be part of this organization because she believes in the infinite potential of children/youth and athletics as a catalyst. She believes in the need and responsibility to invest in all children regardless of socio-economic status, race, etc because when you do, your community grows and benefits. There is more diversity in the workplace, more young adults in school or working instead of prison, economies grow, etc. In the future Joby sees our nonprofit as a nationally recognized program, with programs in every state.
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Stan Ng
Treasurer
Stan Ng is originally from Manalapan, NJ and currently resides in Virginia Beach, VA. He graduated from James Madison University with a degree in Kinesiology: Sport Management with a minor in General Business. He has several years of experience working with various small businesses. He currently works for ADP as part of their Implementation Team. As part of his job with ADP, he communicates daily with different clients to give them time back in their day by automating several business functions.
Stan believes that athletics provides youth with skills far beyond physical development. Athletics gives youth the opportunity to build relationships, develop a strong work ethic, learn about determination/adversity, and gain self-confidence. Stan is excited about the opportunities that Athletes Unite Against Adversity bring to the youth and the positive impact the program can have on their lives.