Camp Zeke, based in the Pocono Mountains, is the first and only overnight summer camp where kids celebrate healthy, active living through fitness, cooking, sports, and gourmet food. Friendship and kindness are foundational to our SGHY summer camp programs and Camp Zeke fully embraces the concept in every activity. Zeke’s picturesque campus offers the ideal environment to create warm memories, forge lifelong friendships, and build strength, confidence, and vibrant good health!
Columbia University, The Dick Savitt Tennis Center at Baker’s Field, Department of Athletics
Columbia’s tennis center is located at Baker’s Field on the very northern tip of Manhattan, across the river channel from the big “C”, famously painted on the Spuyten Duyvil cliff. There are eight tennis courts recently renovated and enclosed year-round due to the philanthropy of Dick Savitt. Over the past two years the courts have been the home of Columbia’s Ivy League champion female and male tennis teams, respectively. Columbia has generously made their facilities available to SGHY for our annual culminating tennis tournament, followed by an exhibition by Columbia’s tennis team players and a great reception for all on the grounds of Baker’s Field.
Julian Krinsky Camps
For over 35 years, Julian Krinsky Camps & Programs has specialized in customized summer programs for students including: Pre-College Enrichment, Business & Leadership, Sports & Fitness, Summer Internships, Digital Journalism, International Affairs (Model UN), Fashion, Science & Technology, and so much more! Its tennis sleep-away camp, on a college campus has been acclaimed as one of the nation’s leading tennis programs for young people.
JKCP’s customized programs inspire self-discovery, instill leadership, encourage creativity and provide exciting environments for learning. Today, students can follow their passions or try something new in the areas that interest them most all while having fun!
Kids of Summer
Kids of Summer is a fun, quality and affordable NYC sports program based in Manhattan’s Riverside Park on the Upper West Side. Now in its fourteenth year, Kids of Summer offers baseball and basketball instruction to hundreds of NYC children each year in a fun, supportive, safe and energetic atmosphere. We believe sports are an integral part of a child’s development. Through targeted drills and exciting games, Kids of Summer’s experienced and responsible coaches work with campers of all ability levels in small groups to ensure personalized attention, improvement, wonderful memories and fun! Twitter: @KidsofSummerNYC
Knox Summer Camp
Summer Adventures at the Knox School is Long Island’s best kept camp secret! Located in St. James on the shores of Stony Brook Harbor, their picturesque, waterfront campus is on 48 rolling acres where kids from grades K through 10 can get away from the stress of the school year and enjoy good, old-fashioned fun in the great outdoors! Run by parents and educators who empathize with the demands placed on today’s families, Knox offers flexible scheduling.
Manhattan Youth
Manhattan Youth Recreation and Resources, Inc. with Bob Townley, its leader provides the highest quality childcare and after-school programs plus academic, recreational and cultural activities for children, families and individuals who live or work in Lower Manhattan, regardless of income. This year, Manhattan Youth is celebrating 26 years of caring. Manhattan Youth’s downtown day camps have been setting the standard in New York City for more than 20 years. The exceptional staff of recreation and education professionals offer the largest variety of activities available in day camping. Working with the Appalachian Mountain Club, Manhattan Youth’s new sleep-away program is designed to offer a variety of outdoor, wilderness activities for youth that will provide a true adventure while developing skills in young adults that last a lifetime. Twitter: @manhattanyouth
National Dance Institute
National Dance Institute (NDI) was founded in 1976 by the late Jacques d’Amboise in the belief that the arts have a unique power to engage children and motivate them toward excellence. While serving on Community School Board 2, Sophie Gerson worked with Jacques d’Amboise to expand NDI programs in public schools.
Today, NDI transforms the lives of tens of thousands of New York City public school children and their communities through weekly classes, short-term residencies, and public performances, each year. Under the artistic direction of Ellen Weinstein and a staff of professional teaching artists, programs are offered to all children, transcending barriers of language, culture, and physical and cognitive challenges. Children learn to work together and develop personal standards of excellence, a pride of achievement, and a curiosity about the world that supports their success in school and in life. Twitter: @NationalDance
New York City Center for Space Science Education (NYCCSSE).
This hands-on center for science education is operated by the Department of Education. Utilizing a NASA Aerospace Laboratory and Mission Control and Space Shuttle simulators as well as robotics lab. Sophie Gerson, while serving on Community School District 2 initiated this science learning center at 220 Henry St.
NYCCSSE provides students with hands-on science learning. Under the brilliant leadership of its Director, Katherine Brown and its talented and dedicated teaching staff. NYCCSSE teaches math and science while inspiring boys and girls to dream about becoming scientists, mathematicians, engineers, pilots and astronauts.
The New York Conservatory of Music
The New York Conservatory of Music is a music school on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York City. It was founded in 1998 by renowned concert pianist Dr. Jerzy Stryjniak and his wife, musicologist Joanna Stryjniak. The Conservatory’s mission is to educate students in music and culture; help them develop their tastes in classical, jazz, Broadway music and more; and provide them with the proper environment for professional growth.
For SGHY the Conservancy has adapted two programs:
- Folk Guitar: NY Conservatory of Music, provides folk guitar instruction at schools, with singing.
- Voice: NY Conservatory of Music provides voice coaching chorus training, at schools
NY Junior Tennis and Learning
NYJTL was founded by Skip Hartman, originally as the New York Junior Tennis League, over 44 years ago. It has since grown to serve 65,000 NYC young people in a variety of after school programs, becoming one of our City’s leading providers of youth services. While Sophie served on Community Board 2, she worked with NYJTL, Skip and its late Executive Director Bob Dryfoos to save the District’s threatened NYJTL tennis program. NYJTL’s mission statement is to develop the character of young people through tennis and education for a lifetime of success on and off the court. Twitter: @NYJTL
Team First
Founded by St. Johns and NBA Charlotte Hornets Basketball Star Tyrone Grant, Team First Inc. is a not-for profit youth program initiative organized by professional athletes that aim to foster an inspirational educational environment. It’s Mission: Athletic advancement through education; educational advancement through athletics. Twitter: @TeamFirstTy
The Golden Horizon Partnership of Chinatown
Golden Horizons Partners, Inc., founded in April 2012. Its mission is to provide an inter-generational, whole life family ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) literacy program to immigrants and their families to ease their assimilation into American culture and to maximize their opportunities to obtain a better future. Tutoring to underprivileged Lower East Side students started in Fall 2014. Golden Horizon also runs a youth basketball program and partners with Sophie Gerson Healthy Youth sending kids to a summer basketball sleep away camp.
The Greenwich House Malakoff Girls’ Basketball League
Greenwich House Girls Basketball League has served some 92 girls, per year, in the community providing them the opportunity to have fun while building self-esteem, teaching how to win and lose gracefully and instilling discipline to faithfully attend practices and games. The League was founded over twenty years ago by Harry Malakoff when his daughter complained she did not have a place to play basketball. Harry now serves as League Commissioner.
Seahorse at Aquatic Solutions
Seahorse specializes in safe swimming lessons. Acquatic Solutions specializes in training Red Cross certified life guards and swimmers. Together this program provides 120 middle-school children – most unaccustomed to aquatic adventures – an opportunity to be comfortable, safe and even proficient swimmers
The Sierra Club of New York City
Founded by legendary conservationist John Muir in 1892, the Sierra Club is now the nation’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization — with more than two million members and supporters. Their mission is to:
- To explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth;
- To practice and promote the responsible use of the earth’s ecosystems and resources;
- To educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and to use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.
For SGHY the New York City chapter provides three or four Sierra Club led trips, one per season, for up to 85 students (entire grade) weekend or school day at the school’s option.