History and Timeline

2001-04

NYC public school teacher and basketball coach Nick Blatchford established a pilot program for New Heights that served student-athletes in Washington Heights, Harlem and the Bronx.  He formed the program under the umbrella of The Children’s Aid Society, NYC’s largest and oldest family and youth service agency. 

2005

-New Heights teamed up with Stanford University’s John Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities to identify ways to enhance program design and evaluation as well as strategic planning.

-New Heights spun off from the Children’s Aid Society and became an independent non-profit organization.

-Cushman & Wakefield Executive Derrick Mashore became the organization’s founding Chairman, and Ted Smith and Rocky Rosa became full-time staff members.

-New Heights moved its program and office locations to the Bronx.

2006- 08

-Kimani Young joined the staff as the Athletic Director, and Lauren Swierczek became the Director of the New Heights Summer Academy at Riverdale.

-New Heights expanded its programming, enrollment, staff, Board of Directors and funding base.

-MADNESS, a cocktail party, auction and NCAA tournament viewing party held at Madison Square Garden, was New Heights’ first major fundraising event.  It garnered $500,000 in 2008.  New Heights at Maidstone was introduced as an annual golf event to raise more money for the organization.

2009

-During the summer of 2009, New Heights moved its program and office locations to Harlem.

-Building on the strength of New Heights' brand, relationships and reputation, the organization piloted New Heights Sports, an earned income business designed to reduce program expenses, extend the organization’s brand and generate revenue.  New Heights successfully ran Summer in the City tournament as the first event.