Empower Sports Designed for Special Needs

March 27, 2014

When Tommy Heines was a senior at Allegheny College back in the spring of 2011, he was deciding what path to pursue after graduation. His father, Mike, called him with an idea.

Mike told Tommy how he had just met Steve Thompson, who had a career in special needs care planning and was looking for someone enthusiastic as well as passionate to spearhead a basketball program for youth with special needs.

Tommy saw this as an opportunity he couldn’t pass up and began planning a basketball camp from scratch.

To his surprise, 50 athletes with special needs signed up and attended. Though the experience was challenging, it was also rewarding and Tommy received so much positive feedback, he decided to continue developing more programs.

Since then, he has created “Empower Sports,” an official nonprofit organization that has involved over 500 athletes with special needs such as Cerebral Palsy, Autism and Down Syndrome.

Last winter, Tommy started a basketball league called “Everyone Wins,” in which he invited high school teams to play with the athletes with special needs and it was a huge success.

School districts such as West Geauga, Kenston and Solon volunteered their evenings, and several teams came back for more games.

“This program has grown because of the overwhelming collaborative efforts of volunteers, students, athletes and parents. It’s been very grounding for volunteers and it’s positively influenced our athletes with special needs by instilling within them fitness, teamwork, competition and socialization,” Tommy said.

His experience with “Empower Sports” has also had an amazing impact on his own life.

“It makes me feel alive — it’s a blessing to me. It’s fuel for my soul and it takes me, and everyone else, back to what made us fall in love with sports when we were younger,” he said.

However, there are daily challenges to running “Empower Sports.”

Tommy and his co-workers are currently in the midst of developing and defining their true mission and goals as a nonprofit organization. They also consistently look for funding to support their athletes and expand their programs.

However, Tommy has strong faith and determination for the future.

“If your heart’s in the right place, things will work out,” he said.

He has big plans for “Empower Sports” in 2014, such as expanding into more sports like softball, volleyball and girls and boys fitness classes. He also will be implementing programs beyond the border of Ohio, such as a camp in Florida with the Orlando Magic, as well as programs in Haiti.

Tommy works by his favorite motto — “until the least are the greatest” — and his horizon looks pretty big, bold and bright.

For more information on volunteer opportunities and programs offered through “Empower Sports,” contact Tommy at theines@basketballassist.org or visit basketballassist.org.