Crossover Mission is now just a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy away from shooting hoops on their own turf. Board members, staff, players and their families recently spent about five hours enthusiastically stomping down 4,700 square feet of basketball flooring within the 30,000-square-foot former citrus packing house, where the nonprofit will soon hang their trainers.
Crossover Mission co-founders Cathy De Schouwer, who serves as executive director, and Antoine Jennings, chief operating officer, credited the achievement to sheer determination and community support.
“It’s overwhelming,” said Jennings. “You envision it in your mind, and you hope and pray that you’ll get there. You talk about it, but to actually see it come to fruition is crazy. Who would have thought that we would ever reach this point?”
He commented that they had always envisioned having the original group of participants on hand for the floor laying, adding, “It’s not just our dream; it’s been their dream this entire time.”
However, only two original participants were able to be there, as others were away at college, and they tragically lost Bidensky Termidor, who died earlier this year in an accidental drowning.
“I’m looking forward to a bright future with the kids we have today,” said Jennings, as he and De Schouwer laid the final pieces into place. He advised their students to “put the program on your back. Represent the brand, represent who you are, do well, and be successful. Carry it as if it’s your own.”
Funded in part by a John’s Island Foundation grant, the floor laying marks the completion of Phase One, meaning participants will no longer have to travel from gym to gym and hardcourt to hardcourt, gathering wherever they could to bond over a shared love of the game.
De Schouwer explained that the Snapsports Athletic Surfaces technology reduces the impact on joints and limbs, can be put down on raw concrete, moved easily, and has a 16-year warranty, adding: “That means a savings in money, savings in time, and a very long life.”
Phase Two involves the build-out of the second-floor academic area, funded in part through a 2021 Impact 100 grant, which they hope to have completed by February, enabling all aspects of the program to be housed in one location.
The goal of Crossover Mission is to help students ages 8 to 18 to become successful adults through a year-round program that combines basketball with one-to-one academic support and mentoring.
Since its founding eight years ago, De Schouwer said female participation has increased, and now comprises almost 20 percent of the population. That weekend they were holding their first Crossover Girls Retreat at the Vero Beach Equestrian Club.
“This is a real ‘crossover’ too. You don’t see many African-American girls riding horses, English style.”
For more information, visit crossovermission.com.
Photos by Kaila Jones
