Growing up, my mom was a teacher (recent retiree) and my dad was a liquor salesman and basketball coach (and still is). I always admired how much my mom loved her job and how she always went the extra mile for her students. I've always wanted to be just like my dad. He has a way about him that just makes people feel important, safe, and like they belong. Through being a basketball coach for roughly 20 years, I've watched my dad go the extra mile for his players time and time again. This included sometimes getting kids a pair of basketball shoes when they couldn't afford it or buying kids a couple new pairs of clothes when they could not afford that either. When I got to high school, I really started to notice firsthand how much of a need there actually was, particularly through my sports teams. I was blessed enough to have graduated from Wildwood High School as a 2,000 point scorer and the valedictorian of my class. I was so grateful for my time there and wanted to do something to give back. In April of 2019, a couple months before I graduated from high school, I started the Step Back Foundation so I could give back to a community that has given so much to me.

The Step Back Foundation is a non-profit organization based out of Cape May County, New Jersey. We provide athletic equipment and other necessities to local student-athletes and families in need of financial assistance.

We have realized, however, sports aren't the only thing! We promote community involvement in any capacity. The idea is that a kid should not miss out on an on opportunity to be a part of something special just because they do not have the financial means to do so. We give back to kids on any sports team, club, or organization. We also donate necessities; such as clothing, shoes, gift cards to grocery shopping, etc. to families in need throughout the area.

Although we were founded on the premises of athletics, we focus heavily on promoting mental wellbeing and the importance of kindness in our daily lives.

We raise money through various different fundraising efforts. We have five main events each year including an Easter egg hunt, a golf outing, a 3v3 basketball tournament, a 5k run/1-mile walk, and a fall auction. We also sell gear in order to raise money, which is available through this site!

This is a tax-exempt 501(c)3 charity. Our EIN/Tax-ID number is 83-4646007.

Due to a high volume of donation requests, we are now only accepting donation requests via the form below.

Our goal is to help the most amount of people as possible and this will only help us organize and sort through our request.

As always, thank you so much for your support! We are so grateful for this community.

Introducing Step Back Student of the Month! This program includes all of the island's elementary schools. Each month, we will be selecting a student from each school that embodies the given character trait of the month. Each recipient will receive a shirt/crewneck (depending on the month) with our new special Step Back Student of the Month logo on it. We are so excited to start this program!

Our first winner ever, from Glenwood Elementary Annex School, was Yamile Cortez Cabrera.

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month (May), the Step Back Foundation held a t-shirt design contest Margaret Mace Elementary School's 3rd to 8th grade.

This year, there were 5 winners in the contest. In addition to the designs, we also interviewed each kid who submitted a design and asked them what mental health means to them and why they drew the design that they did. We were so excited with how the designs/shirts turned out. But more importantly, we were so excited with how interested and invested the kids were who participated in the contest and the answers they gave during the interviews.

Click the link below to watch! You can also watch more clips on on our social media pages:

@thestepbackfoundation on Instagram & Facebook!

Mental health matters today & everyday!

6abc News came down to Wildwood to share our story. Click the link below to read the full story and to watch a video on who we are and what we are about.

Due: May 1st, 2026

Changes have been made to our 2026 Step Back "Live Like Bolle" scholarships. Seniors from Wildwood High School and Wildwood Catholic Academy are eligible for this scholarship.

Multiple students may be selected and amounts of each scholarship may vary.

• Emma Drumm: $1,000 (Cape May Tech)
• Alec Dooley: $500 (Cape May Tech)
• Marco Juarez: $500 (Wildwood High School)
• Kelan Miller: $500 (Wildwood High School)
• Brian Cunniff: $1,000 (Wildwood High School
• Maeve Farrell: $500 (Wildwood Catholic Academy)
• Riley Powell: $500 (Wildwood Catholic Academy)
• Carter Givner: $500 (Wildwood Catholic Academy 8th Grade)