Most Friday nights year round a dedicated group, comprised of volunteer coaches along with North and South current and former high school volunteers, join together with member athletes from our community for an evening of basketball camaraderie and fun.

Week after week the relationship between the Great Neck Spirits players and their local coaches Alan Someck, Ed Fuernbach, Jordana Cohen, Chris Brown, Diane Polland, Shelley Greenbaum, Eric Goldstein and Michael Polland, along with volunteers, have consistently brought good times for all those participating in our regular program.

This year on June 8 the Spirits held its 14th annual Special Olympics "big event." Over 250 people showed up in 100 degree heat at the North High School gym to make this a day of dreams come true. Eight teams of Special Olympians came from all over Nassau and Suffolk counties. The heat could not melt the high energy, smiles and sense of success met by the athletes in this exciting day of competition. The highlight of the event has always been when the participants receive their medals and beam with pride. The 2008 Joan Gruenbaum Athletes of the Year are Romina Corsaro and Lee Wolbrum.

Special thanks to Waldbaum's, Whole Foods, Apple and Eve, Merrill Lynch and the Levitt Foundation for supporting the event.