Pictured with the presentation check from Prevent Childhood Obesity are, front row, Prevent Childhood Obesity Club officers Alexis Peart, Aaron Palmieri and Kristen Kollevoll; second row, Eric Kollevoll, Diana Kollevoll, HVRSD Superintendent Tom Smith, HVRSD Board of Education Member Mike Marculec, YMCA Board President Ryan Kennedy and YMCA CEO Doug Pszczolkowski.
Pictured with the presentation check from the Recreation Foundation of Hopewell Valley are Eric Kollevoll, Diana Kollevoll YMCA CEO Doug Pszczolkowski, HVRSD Superintendent Tom Smith, HVCS Seniors Alexis Peart, Aaron Palmieri and Kristen Kollevoll, Hopewell Valley Recreation Foundation Co-Chair Kim Bruno, Board of Education member Mike Marculec and President of the YMCA Board of Directors Ryan Kennedy.
The Hopewell Valley YMCA is proud to introduce recreational and club volleyball to Hopewell Valley. Thanks in part to a $2,500 grant from the Recreation Foundation of Hopewell Valley and to the $1,000 donation from Kiersten Kollevoll and her Prevent Childhood Obesity Club, the YMCA purchased the equipment needed to launch the program. The YMCA Board of Directors has allocated additional funds to complete the equipment purchase and install permanent sleeves into the floor of the Timberlane Middle School gymnasium to support the program.
Beginning with open gym time from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, November 16 through Wednesday, November 18, 2015, the Hopewell Valley YMCA plans to hold try-outs on Thursday and Friday evenings for three girls’ clubs (13U, 14U, and 15U). Boys’ teams are set to be added in the near future. Registrants must be current members of the Garden Empire Volleyball Association by joining at geva.org.
Hopewell Valley Central High School student, Kiersten Kollevoll, wanted to play volleyball but, like many students before her, would have had to leave her home community in order to participate. Kollevoll researched her options and she successfully joined a club based out of West Windsor and the junior varsity team at Hopewell Valley Central High School during its 2013 inaugural year. But, Kollevoll wanted to do more locally, in particular to boost teen activity and body image, so she started the HVCHS Prevent Childhood Obesity Club. In 2014, Kollevoll and her fellow club members started raising money during Pennington Day and other community events. Their goal was to start a volleyball program here, in their home community of Hopewell Valley.
Kollevoll and her parents approached the Hopewell Valley YMCA for support in launching a volleyball program. The YMCA has been operating an adult volleyball program for many years at Timberlane Middle School. When the school district added volleyball teams to the high school sports programs, the YMCA started offering developmental clinics to help the local players build upon their skills, meeting the need as interest grew. Kollevoll and her friends raised $1,000 to donate to the YMCA to help with purchasing equipment.
The Hopewell Valley Regional School District added a ninth grade team this year in response to the popularity of team try-outs at HVCHS. The district intends to add a middle school program next year. The YMCA is paying for improvements to the Timberlane gym and donating the use of the equipment to the school district so the middle school programs, the new Timberlane teams and physical education classes can use it too.
The YMCA is also launching a developmental volleyball program as part of its commitment to the Special Olympics programming.
For tickets and more information, visit hvrecfoundation.org.
,
