A Fair Shot For All

THE THINGS ONE can learn chatting with someone on their front porch are sometimes both inspirational and heartwarming. Such was the case when I sat with Margo and Paul Hooker on their porch in Sea Girt recently.

The Hookers met as students at Bowling Green State University. Paul, a local Ohio boy, was working in the campus pool room when he met Margo, a transfer student from Georgian Court College. Margo went in to get change to do laundry. Paul remembers looking up and “bells rang, whistles blew, and fireworks went off” as their eyes met.

Paul thought, “She is way above my pay grade.” But as the two got to know each other, they found common ground. For one thing, both had lost parents at a young age, which made each of them sympathetic toward others, kind, and strong in their own ways. Their relationship has grown into a marriage of over 51 years, with two sons and a daughter, each married to loving spouses, and 10 healthy grandchildren. They also have built a nonprofit for children with special needs.

SPARKED TO CREATE CHANGE

In 1990, while living in Middletown, Paul was president of Lincroft Little League and coach of the youth softball team in which their children played. At one of the games, Margo and he were walking to the field when they noticed 12-year-old Nicole Bongiolatti watching her two older brothers play baseball. Nicole had spina bifida, which caused her to be in a wheelchair.

When Paul asked Nicole how she was doing, she turned to him and said, “Mr. Hooker, this stinks! How come my brothers can play Little League and I can’t?” Inspired by Nicole’s remark, he and Margo founded Challenged Youth Sports, a youth softball program that Nicole and some of her friends could participate in. “This stinks”—the two words Nicole said with such feeling—sparked what would become a lifelong mission to help those with special needs.

That same year, the American Disabilities Act was passed by Congress as a spotlight on

accessibility standards that ensure people with disabilities can stay active, enjoy sports, and fully participate in recreation spaces across the country. The act also integrated special needs students into mainstream public schools.

GROWING STRONG

Over the years, Challenged Youth Sports grew from a small, single-sport season to a year-round organization offering nearly a dozen sports and dances, impacting hundreds of families in the region. In 2014, the organization changed its name to RallyCap Sports.

A rally cap is a baseball cap worn inside out and backward by players and/or fans to will a team to a comeback victory late in a game. Paul interpreted this definition metaphorically. “The need for the rally cap symbolizes the challenges RallyCap players and their families

face,” he says. “By figuratively putting on that hat, wins will hopefully be achieved in the game of life for these participants.”

RallyCap Sports expanded to universities where students could get involved working with children and young adults with special needs. It launched its first chapter at the school where Margo and Paul (now a trustee at Bowling Green State University) first met. There, they established the model for future chapters. There are presently five RallyCap Sports chapters across the country.

MAKING DREAMS COME TRUE

Margo and Paul also have worked tirelessly over the years with the Monmouth County Park System raising funds to build two accessible playgrounds in the area: Challenger Place at Dorbrook Park in Colts Neck (June 2004) and Tony’s Place in Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park in Long Branch (November 2009).

In 2017, RallyCap Sports also collected donations in memory of dedicated volunteer Elaine Plasteras, to give five adaptive bikes to students with special needs at the LADACIN Network Schroth School in Ocean Township. The families who received these bikes reacted by saying what a positive impact the gift had on their children’s lives. This led RallyCap Sports to raise the funds needed to provide four additional adaptive bikes in 2018 and another five for students in 2019.

At home in Sea Girt, Margo and Paul enjoy taking their grandchildren to the playground in Baltimore Park. While there one day, they noticed there was no shade, making it difficult for parents to stay very long due to the direct sun and heat. They also noticed there was no adaptive playground equipment for children with special needs.

Margo and Paul approached Jim Gant, then Sea Girt Boro administrator, and offered to fund the addition of shade that resemble waves and two pieces of adaptive playground equipment. Their generous donation covered the total cost of purchase and installation, and allowed them to erect a new sign that includes the RallyCap Sports logo. The couple worked with Mike D’Altrui, president of Sea Girt Recreation, to design the project.

Beyond special needs, Margo and Paul are avid supporters of several local charities involved with food insecurity and homelessness. They are parishioners of St. Mark Catholic Church in Sea Girt, and both taught religious education for over 15 years at their previous Holmdel parish. Over the 35 years they have run their nonprofit, Margo also has worked with Paul in their import business, SFERRA Fine Linens.

IT TAKES A VILLAGE

As RallyCap Sports celebrates its 35th year, Margo and Paul’s hope is that the lives of hundreds of children and young adults with special needs will continue to flourish. With the assistance of over 3,200 volunteers who have served more than 65,000 community service hours, it is likely it will. As RallyCap Sports continues its mission, it also inspires others

to get involved. For example, local teen Gavin D’Altrui, a Manasquan High School student and Sea Girt resident, witnessed the impact of the organization firsthand at a Sea Girt 5K race and decided to start a RallyCap Sports at Manasquan High School.

In December 2024, Margo and Paul enlisted the assistance of their daughter-in-law Gina Hooker. Gina is now executive director of RallyCap Sports. The hope is that Gina, with the help of their seven local grandchildren and dedicated community volunteers, will continue the program for years to come, serving children and young adults with special needs. “Helping others is our mission,” Margo says.

Sea Girt is fortunate to be home to such a heartwarming and inspirational couple. To learn more or to donate to the nonprofit 501(c)(3) program, visit www.rallycapsports.org or call 732-361-2282.

BY JUDITH JONES AMBROSINI