CVR Crusaders win East Sectional Basketball Championship

This past weekend, the CVR Crusaders Special Olympics basketball team won the Special Olympics New Jersey East Sectional Division 2 basketball championship. In the semifinal round, the Crusaders defeated the Blackhawks, 42-28. In the championship game, the Crusaders defeated the Knights, 18-16, in overtime. For the second year in a row, the Crusaders advance to the state finals at the Special Olympics Winter Sports Festival in Wildwood. The CVR Crusaders basketball team was started as an ongoing initiative by the Center for Vocational Rehabilitation (CVR) to increase opportunities for CVR’s special needs participants.

“Winning our first gold medal was a tremendous achievement by our team,” said Travis Johnson, Head Coach of the CVR Crusaders basketball team. “When we lost to the Blackhawks three years ago by almost 30 points, our players made a commitment to work hard and keep improving until they could defeat them. They have stayed focused on the goal with amazing determination. Bringing home a championship to CVR is a testament to the men on this team trusting each other, making each other better and being a true team in every sense of the word. I could not be more proud and we know our whole CVR family will be rooting us on in Wildwood.”

Founded in 1954, the Center for Vocational Rehabilitation (CVR) has provided what people with disabilities need most for their self-respect and the esteem of others: WORK.  CVR facilitates personal growth and helps bring dignity and respect to the people it serves through a variety of vocational and partial-care rehabilitation programs. For more information about CVR, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, please visit: http://www.cvrus.org.