On Sunday, November 17^th NOW teamed up with Putnam Science Academy to host a free indoor basketball clinic at Tourtellotte Memorial High School in Thompson. 110 children participated in the clinic, learning a variety of skills from PSA coaches and athletes. The two-hour event saw participating children rotate through eight skill stations, with a goal of introducing and improving such skills as passing, shooting, dribbling, footwork, and more. The clinic was the final event in a series of free 2019 events hosted by NOW designed to introduce sports and wellness activities to children in the 10-town area of Northeast Connecticut.

The Basketball Clinic saw a record number of children, with over 100 registrations in less than two weeks. The high number of participants is a testament to the popularity of the sport and NOW Executive Director Sarah Wolfburg shared her appreciation for Putnam Science Academy’s partnership in running the clinic, “We are always glad to work with Coach Tom Espinosa and his players. NOW has had a long friendship with Putnam Science Academy and the success of this event is thanks to them.” In addition to Coach Espinosa, PSA was represented by Coach Kevin Donavan, Coach Josh Scraba, and players Amir Sanders, Marty Silvera, Mekhi Gray, Jonnie Williams, Eli Everett, Viktor Shvetc, Melvyn Ebonkoli, Vladislav Goldin, Max Armstead, Jayden Brewington, and Travis Whitehouse.

NOW has offered a variety of clinics in 2019, including: Baseball, Track & Field, Soccer, Yoga, Swimming, Football, and with the December 17^th clinic, Basketball. All NOW Clinics are designed to introduce area children to sports, offering instruction by local coaches and student athletes. NOW Programming Staff also run fun and interactive activities focused on nutrition education and general fitness. NOW staff are already working on scheduling 2020 clinics, with plans for additional Baseball and Track & Field events planned for late February and early March, respectively.

The clinic also featured a new initiative to collect new stuffed animals to be used during youth medical exams at Day Kimball Healthcare. The stuffed animal drive will be a fixture at future NOW events and clinics and Sunday’s clinic saw over a dozen stuffed animals donated by families. NOW will donate all animals collected after each event. NOW is a non-profit human services organization focused on youth wellness. NOW provides children with the opportunity to participate in area wellness activities and athletics programs, offering scholarships to the youth of the community with up to 95% of the cost being subsidized by NOW. The mission of the organization is to provide ALL children, regardless of financial resources, equal opportunities to achieve & maintain youth wellness, beginning at an early age.