Hazleton Area Recreation Program opens new sports complex

The Hazleton Area Recreation Program (HARP) celebrated a grand opening of their new 13,000 square ft. sports complex on March 17. The new sports complex is located at 600 South Poplar Street.

HARP’s mission is to enhance the future of the youth of the Greater Hazleton Area through providing exercise, character development, self -discipline, confidence, structure, work ethic and friendship. Most of the kids HARP serves range from 5 to 18 years of age. The organization currently provides services to over 250 people weekly.

Some of the programs HARP offers our local kids and teens include boxing, personal training and functional training, baseball strength and conditioning, golf strength and conditioning, soccer strength and conditioning, softball strength and conditioning, swimming strength and conditioning and speed training.

Some of HARP participant’s success stories include:

· Abdiel Alba, a Hazleton Area School District baseball player who due to the influence of HARP is pursuing a career in Physical Therapy.

· Jatnk Diaz, played baseball for the Hazleton Area School District baseball and has committed and received a full ride to East Stroudsburg University to play baseball.

· The girl’s golf team won districts and had two golfers win individual championships.

· Swim team experienced shoulder issues, and turned that around and they won a lot of medals.

· Soccer team won their first district championship.

· Kids in our middle school program did well in the gym and were all first honors.

· Youth boxing programs have a strong history for providing a program to help build self-confidence and help keep kids off the street.

· Training facility for the girl’s lacrosse team.

· Also serve adults with adult fitness-boxing program.

Heading into the future HARP wants to increase mentorship opportunities with local business owners and to be all-inclusive and partner with local organizations including Collaborative Autism Movement. Collaborative Autism Movement and HARP will partner on providing an Inclusive Youth Sports Program. The vision is to have children with disabilities partner up with neurotypical children to help promote inclusiveness and kindness. This buddy program will enable us to teach youth to be accepting of children of all kinds and to support their unique differences. This program is being developed to help prevent bullying in our schools and provides socialization for children with disabilities.

“We want to make an impact and help kids with leadership skills, teamwork, provide mentorship, promote inclusiveness, kindness and present opportunities to them. We want to help the kids in our community succeed and give them the tools to become the future leaders in our area all while giving them a safe place to do so,” said HARP Board Member Jarrod DeAngelo.

“I feel extremely blessed to be a part of an organization that truly embodies nothing but positivity. To be able to come into a space that has the energy that HARP has on a daily basis, to have a team that accepts ideas and works together to provide such broad and expanding services is an opportunity I’ve always dreamt of,” said HARP Executive Director Christie Provanzo.

For more info visit Hazletonharp.org or call 570-861-4890.