Team Walker was founded in 1996 by Jersey City natives Jerry and Jasper Walker, who aspired to give Jersey City children the same after school programs they enjoyed while growing up. They knew these programs helped them mature academically, and also provided them with an athletic outlet for their basketball abilities. Anthony High School and helping the Friars win a mythical national championship, Jerry enrolled at Seton Hall University and was instrumental in helping lead the Pirates Men’s Basketball team to three trips to the NCAA Tournament. For his efforts, Walker was honored as the Metropolitan Player of the Year Award, the ESPN Post-Player of the Year Award, and earned Second Team All-BIG EAST recognition. Returning to his childhood neighborhood in Jersey City after enjoying a professional basketball career in Europe, Jerry saw the need for the type of programs that proved to be of such great benefit in his personal development. The Team Walker vision was to create a program that would provide safe and constructive alternatives to the negative influences that plague inner city youth. Through a structured academic and recreational environment, the children would learn how to focus on teamwork, responsibility, persistence and unity. The staff knew that if children were provided positive role models, in combination with a gained sense of accomplishment and heightened awareness of their capabilities, they could significantly improve their quality of life. Although Team Walker lacked financial support at the program’s inception, that did not impede Jasper and Jerry from realizing their vision. Using their own savings earned from working on Wall Street and playing basketball overseas, and fueled by the inspiration of their grandfather, who founded the Lafayette Neighborhood Association, Jerry and Jasper were able to start the program beginning with a summer basketball tournament. To their great credit, the program has been hugely successful, growing from one tournament and basketball clinic, and a handful of children, to over 500 participants, and year-round academic and athletic programs in Jersey City.
