Founded in 1999, Fort Greene Volunteers [FGV] is a non-for-profit organization with 501(c) 3 status that host’s a summer basketball tournament, conducts clinics, offers educational and mentoring programs.  The co-founder of Fort Greene Volunteers/Annual Round Ball Classic Ronald Washington is a former basketball player himself who is well known throughout the community.  I wanted the youths of Walt Whitman Housing Development to have the same opportunity that other communities had a sports program that would give them the tools to utilize in their learning how to play the game, be a better person and to take advantage of their gifted skills to become leader in what they do best.  ”I remember when some of the best ball players came from this community, went on to star in high school and college.  ”We are just trying to make a different and to bring some of those glory days back.

 Gary Glover the other co-founder has worked together for the past six years.  We have worked together to form Fort Greene Volunteers/Annual Round Ball Classic.  Playing basketball was the only thing to do growing up in our days.  The first two years of us establishing our objective for this community, we started with a girls division as well a boys division 10-16 years of age, which turned out to be very competitive in the beginning.  As time went on, we realize that this would turn out to be a big task.  ”We basically paid for the tournament from our own pockets in the beginning because the resources were just not there as of yet”.  Eventually, we decided we had to go outside of the community to do some networking in order to continue.  Getting people to believe in our cause.  During the course or the years we build our staff to five adding Mark Knox (manager), Gene Gibson (assistant secretary) and Nicole Parks our secretary for the organization

 OUR MISSION

Fort Greene Volunteers are a non-for-profit organization who operates a summer youth’s sports program for youths between the ages of 10-16 years of age.  We operate in the community of Walt Whitman Housing Development in the Fort Greene Community.  Our goals are as follows:

1.        Serve the community by fostering values and morals during adolescent development.

2.        To establish a relationship with neighboring schools and business.

3.        To provide a platform for students to acquire skills and training for higher education.

All of the said above is what motivates Fort Greene Volunteers.  We have goals and ideas that we want to implement for our youth’s and community.  We have the youth’s involved; now we have to get their parents and business owners more actively involved.  This community needs a lot of help and we will be a part of this community’s voice for a better future.