Two Stratford residents, Max Rosenberg and Wali Kadeem, were honored for their work with a local basketball program.

The program is part of the Help the Children Foundation, which Kadeem founded nearly 30 years ago.

Kadeem said, “You come on the court and play strangers but at the end of the game you know each other, shaking hands, high fiving, and loving each other, so that's the beauty of it for myself."

Sen. Richard Blumenthal said by teaching young people to be leaders, Rosenberg and Kadeem have had a positive impact.