Basketball tournament brings together players with developmental disorders

SPRING VALLEY, Rockland County (WABC) -- There is some friendly competition taking place on the basketball courts Wednesday, with dozens competing in the third annual Battle of the Boroughs.

The event brings together teams of people with developmental disabilities from around New York City, and it comes complete with cheerleaders and maybe even a little trash talking.

The event in Spring Valley is part of The New York Foundling's Day Habilitation Program, which offers activities designed for adults with varying degrees of developmental disabilities.

"For them, it's just being able to do the same things everybody else does, and this is one of the things that, for them, they love to do," the Foundling's Ashley Gibbs said. "So we put together a basketball tournament."

The New York Foundling reaches 27,000 people in the area, and this is the third year of its tournament billed as a "Battle of the Boroughs. But more than bragging rights, the day is about having a good time.

"One of our goals is connecting people to the community," Foundling VP Jill Gentile said. "So we have a lot of volunteers. We've invited folks from different agencies. So it's really part of being part of the community of Rockland County."