Up2Us Sports marks 15 years of empowering youth through sports and unveils a rebrand to expand its impact.
AmeriCorps announced that Up2Us Sports would once again receive critical funding for our national service coach program. Since 2009, AmeriCorps funding has allowed us to train and support over 3,900 coaches to significantly impact the lives of nearly 100,000 young people.
Welcome to a momentous occasion as we celebrate 14 incredible years of Up2Us Sports! Since our inception, we have been committed to empowering young people through the power of sports, national service and mentorship.
We hope you will read our latest Annual Report and we thank you for your support in helping us provide underserved youth with a coach who cares about them. This report covers our 2021-2022 program and fiscal year.
The Morgan Stanley Alliance for Children's Mental Health Innovation Awards—an initiative that aims to identify and fund mental healthcare solutions for children and young adults across the United States—honors a 2022 winner, Up2Us Sports.
Though it’s roots begin in the late 1980’s after Paul Caccamo graduated from Georgetown, Up2Us Sports didn’t begin to take shape until 2008. To get the full scope of our origin story, we had one of our coaches interview Paul for a StoryCorps segment on the history of Up2Us Sports and where he sees the organization going in the future.
Up2Us Sports athlete ambassador Kim Vandenberg hosted a swim clinic for 30 girls from long-standing partner ReNew Schaumburg Elementary. The school, in partnership with The New Orleans Recreation Development (NORD) Commission, the American Red Cross and Up2Us Sports, launched their swim program in advance of the 2017-2018 school year. Up2Us Sports placed two coaches in the program to teach students swim skills and life skills throughout the school year.
Our goals for the long-term health of our society, especially young people, include having more individuals participate in (more) sports. Not just basketball, baseball, football, hockey, soccer, tennis or golf. It includes ultimate frisbee, lacrosse, rugby 7s, T20 cricket, Quidditch, professional tag, and pickleball, amongst others.
If you know Hemon, working anywhere other than Baltimore was never an option; he sees far too much of himself in these children to go elsewhere. Hemon was born in a refugee camp in Nepal to Bhutanese parents. In 2008, he arrived in Baltimore as a twelve-year-old who couldn’t speak English, but was determined to succeed in his new country.
Through Up2Us Sports’ national coaching program, 350 AmeriCorps members will be trained to coach and mentor low-income youth to make better decisions, stay healthy, and reach their potential, through the power of sports. The $2.5 million in grants from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) will support AmeriCorps members nationally with added support in California, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana and Pennsylvania.
Please join us in welcoming the AmeriCorps VISTAs who will be serving at Up2Us Sports and its member organizations for the 2017-2018 program year. VISTA (Volunteers In Service To America) is a national service program that utilizes the skills, talents and passion of more than 7,000 Americans annually to support community efforts to overcome poverty.
Up2Us Sports coaches and their families got to experience a Miami Marlins game in person this past Friday thanks to Up2Us Sports Ambassador AJ Ramos. The Marlins closer generously donated 40 tickets for the coaches and their families for a night at Marlins Park.
Up2Us Sports Ambassador Sugar Rodgers will be heading to the WNBA All-Star Game next weekend. She was named a replacement player and will make her All-Star debut in her fifth season.
In the past seven years, I have highlighted in the Sports Doing Good newsletter and blog more than 4,000 stories of the “good.” This has included everything from on-the-field performances, work by non-profits, team and league programs reaching out to their fan bases, and of course, people overcoming challenges in their lives, big and small, to accomplish something important in their life. For this last category of stories, it is fair to think when overcoming “challenges,” we are talking about those physical in nature. Those are the ones that are the most obvious – someone’s physical challenge – is usually very easy to see. But, of course, it is not all about the physical.
To the kids she coaches Marnisha goes exclusively by ‘Coach Super.’ The moniker doubling as a nickname and the perfect embodiment of her life and commitment to young people. Hearing Marnisha’s story, her nickname becomes less surprising. Born and raised in Dayton, Ohio she grew up in a religious family where both of her parents worked, she went to school, played little league baseball and other sports here and there.
Up2Us Sports has announced the addition of lightweight boxer Damon Allen Jr. to their group of athlete ambassadors. The 24-year old Philadelphia native has gone undefeated since turning pro, currently holding an 11-0-1 record with 5 KO’s. Damon had a decorated amauteur career, amassing 210 fights. He is a six-time national champion, was ranked #1 nationally in the lightweight category and participated in the 2011 Olympic Trials. He burst into the professional circuit in 2013, winning five fights in his first year as a pro then signing with Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions.
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