Our History
After 12 years of operating basketball camps, all-sports clinics, and a winter basketball league under the for-profit corporation known as BETTERBALL!, Inc., co-owners Steve and Kath Cloran formed the 501(c)(3) Mission 5 & 2 in 2016.
Through Mission 5 & 2, we aspire to engage in programs with youth and families that value and foster respect for everyone, starting with a hand shake (5) and eye contact (2).
We will offer opportunities for kids to participate in sports providing teachable moments every step along the way about sportsmanship, healthy competition, humility, perseverance, and teamwork.
Basketball Camps & Clinics
The cornerstone of Mission 5 & 2 programming. Using the many critical life skills gained through playing team sports, every program at Mission 5 & 2 featured:Respect for self, others, the facility and the game of basketball
Small-group sizes for instruction and a basketball for every camper to maximize learning, development, and confidence
The age-appropriate basketball size and rim height at each facility
Sports & Spirituality Camp
Vacation Bible School + Sports Camp = Good Clean Fun!Camp curriculum adopted through a partnership with Fellowship of Christian Athletes
Each camp sold out every summer and we added on more sessions as the years progressed
Post-COVID, this camp became a Multi-Sport & Service Camp with over 150 campers attending each summer working together for their community and have a LOT of fun in the process!
Champions Club
A weekend sports and recreation program for youth with special needsThe Champions Club provided the neuro-diverse students with an hour of physical activity with a neuro-typical buddy
Their parents witnessed their child succeed in an environment with their peers
The Champions Club was a win-win experience for all involved - participants and volunteers
Winter Basketball League
The largest of our program in terms of enrollment, the league grew from 9 teams and 100 kids in 2007 to 100 teams and well over 1,000 players in 2022. All teams were comprised of students from the same school, making this the area’s only school-based youth developmental basketball program
The vast majority of participants reported having a greater sense of community in the school after having participated
The league’s referees were professional educators and expert-coaches who modeled and explained the rules of the game on the court for the youngest players
Special Event: Ray of Hope
In our minds, Anthony Ray Hinton gave the greatest 5 & 2 of all time when he befriended a leader of the KKK in prison, despite the despicable systemic racism that falsely incarcerated him. He was finally exonerated after 30 years on Alabama’s death row.Upon listening to Kelly Corrigan’s Tell Me More podcast with Anthony Ray Hinton, we brought him to Philadelphia to share his story and his message of loving others you meet, even those who show hate toward you. Even Oprah said, ”Anthony Ray Hinton is a man you should know.”
