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September 29, 2020
Virtual

Virtual Giving Campaign

Since 2017 the Sports Business Journal has recognized four outstanding non-profits with its Celebration of Service Award. This year, we wanted to do more than just recognize organizations that are using sports to make a difference every day, we wanted to help support them.

In lieu of a registration fee to attend the 2020 Sports Business Awards, we hope you will consider a donation to one (or more) of these outstanding non-profits.

Click on the logos below to donate, or to learn more about each non-profit, scroll and read their descriptions below.

           


Homeless World Cup
Petronila, 19, spent most of her life on the streets until she joined the street soccer program – which allowed her to have an education, receive a grant to study bread-making and secure employment.  Now, as a young mother, she has moved away from the streets. She represented her nation in the Mexico 2018 Homeless World Cup. Soccer gave her hope and a bright future.

The Homeless World Cup Foundation is a pioneering charity which uses soccer to end homelessness.

We envision a world without homelessness and use soccer to support and inspire people who are homeless to change their own lives; and to change perceptions towards people experiencing homelessness.

We work through a network of Street Football Partners in 70+ countries to reach the most marginalised people in society.  We celebrate their year-round work with an inspiring, life-changing event: The Homeless World Cup – a festival of soccer where teams comprised of homeless people from around the world compete and represent their country on a global stage.

Homelessness can affect any one of us, and due to the global pandemic, the number of people at risk of homelessness has reached unprecedented levels.  This global crisis has forced us to adapt so that we can continue to support our partners. While our international event is on hold, we are working towards strengthening our network of partners so they can continue to deliver their work, but we cannot do it alone. We need all the support we can get.

We know the challenges ahead seem impossible to overcome. The Homeless World Cup Foundation has impacted the lives of 1.2 million people around the world since 2003, and we know that with support and hard work, we can continue to make a huge difference during these difficult times. 

PeacePlayers
PeacePlayers has operated for nearly 20 years globally using the power of sport to unite, educate and inspire young people to create a more peaceful and equitable world. The organization offers sport programming, peace education, and leadership development to those living in communities in conflict that focus on creating lasting, meaningful change.

PeacePlayers fosters connections in divided communities, builds skills in cooperation, inter-personal relationship-building and conflict resolution, empowers youth to be leaders in their communities and advocates for peace around the world and nurtures a sense of global belonging…. Through sport. 

PowerPlay
PowerPlay advances the lives of girls through sports, helping them grow physically, emotionally, and academically, stronger. Girls in NYC participate in sports at half the rate boys do. However, research shows that girls who participate in sports are less likely to smoke, drink, use drugs or get pregnant as a teenager -- and sports participation leads to substantial physical, social-emotional, and achievement-related benefits. Yet if girls do not get involved in sports by the age of 13, it is unlikely they will ever participate.

PowerPlay creates opportunities for girls and gender non-conforming (GNC) youth ages 8-18 by partnering with schools and community-based organizations to conduct after-school and summer programs that emphasize physical fitness and education. Their free, holistic programs start a dialogue, offer the chance for critical and analytical thinking and opens the door to personal, academic and career growth for girls at all stages of their development. PowerPlay offers the following programs:

  • The Sports Training And Role-models for Success (STARS) Series After-School program provides 900 elementary and middle school girls annually the opportunity to learn fundamental skills in a variety of sports and participate in activities aimed at developing their social-emotional learning.
  • RisingSTARS Academy (RSA) - a summer intensive, youth development program which prepares 25 middle school girls per year for continued educational success.
  • SuperSTARS Leadership Academy (SSLA) - a high-impact leadership development program for 50 females ages 14-18 per year who attend Title 1 public high schools in NYC. SSLA kicks off with a five-week intensive summer session, and continues into the school year offering participants a wide range of activities to further develop their life and leadership skills.

PowerPlay also hosts multiple Girl Power Days each year, where 75 girls per day take part in different sports, gain knowledge on important topics like financial literacy and healthy living and most importantly have fun, make new friendships and participate in creating a supportive culture.

Going into FY21 (starting July 1, 2020), PowerPlay was selected for the seventh consecutive year as the lead organization of STARS Citywide Girls Initiative (CGI), which is a collaboration of ten leading NYC nonprofits funded by the NYC Council supporting the healthy development of nearly 6,000 young females of color annually. Together, they help girls and GNC youth overcome barriers to success, grow emotionally, academically and physically stronger, and develop as leaders in their communities.

Team IMPACT
Team IMPACT is the only U.S. nonprofit that tackles the emotional trauma and social isolation experienced by children facing serious and chronic illness by connecting them with a college athletic team. Our two-year therapeutic program complements a child’s medical treatments, allowing the child to develop relationships and skills that help them complete the full circle of healing.

Through participation in Team IMPACT’s clinically informed program, children experience a true sense of belonging, resulting increased empowerment, normalization, health promotion, and resilience. Families feel connected and supported as their child achieves individualized goals, while experiencing the joy of team camaraderie and inclusion; and student athletes gain perspective and inspiration, as well as lessons in adversity and resilience.

Since 2011, Team IMPACT has matched over 2,000 children with more than 700 colleges and universities in 48 states, impacting 60,000 student athletes.