Call for Applications: New Round of Sports Equipment Donations to Youth Programs across Georgia

February 24, 2016 Print This Post

Equipment donations are removing barriers for 7,744 of Georgia’s children

The Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation (AFYF) and Good Sports, a national nonprofit, are extending their partnership by offering a new round of sports and fitness equipment donations to youth programs across Georgia.

The application period for this new cycle of Good Sports-AFYF equipment donations is open through Friday, May 27, 2016, with applications being accepted from across the state. Approved applicants will be able to receive up to six donations through Good Sports regular process over the next two years, and will also be considered for future grants through the Good Sports partnership with the AFYF.

“Using everything from soccer balls to yoga mats to weights, the groups receiving donations are giving young people what they need and want to expand participation in regular fitness activities,” said John Bare, vice president of The Arthur Blank Family Foundation, which administers AFYF grants. “With these donations, more young people will be off the sideline and in the game.”

This round of donations emphasizes the importance of expanding opportunities for girls. As a leader in this work, the Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Academy in Atlanta is receiving more than $6,000 in weightlifting equipment and workout apparel to support of the academy’s plans for a new weight room. The need to sustain participation among young girls is documented in a 2015 study conducted by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Harvard School of Public Health, and NPR. According to the study, 35 percent of boys continue to play sports as adults, while only 16 percent of girls do the same.

In a highly competitive process that drew more than 70 applications, 17 groups were selected for equipment donations in this round of awards. In all, the 17 groups will receive $89,000 worth of new equipment, apparel and footwear. Together, these programs will remove barriers to participation for 7,744 children, including 4,363 girls, helping these young people realize the lifelong benefits of sport and physical activity.

Now in its sixth year, the Good Sports-AFYF partnership provides fitness and sports equipment donations to remove barriers for youth to participate in regular physical activity. Good Sports utilizes its relationships with equipment manufacturers and distributors to provide sports equipment to programs serving children in need. For every grant dollar from AFYF, Good Sports provides at least $2 in equipment donations.

“Good Sports’ primary goal every day is to ensure that the resources are available for children in need to become more active,” says Melissa Harper, Good Sports’ Chief Executive Officer. “The Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation has made the commitment to ensuring that all children in Georgia—regardless of economic standing or gender—have the opportunity to participate in youth sports, and continue to be a great partner with their support this year.

Since forming a partnership in 2010, Good Sports and AFYF have provided equipment donations worth $929,000 to 163 groups in 58 counties across Georgia. The equipment donations have helped more than 84,850 youth gain access to regular fitness activities.

Groups can submit an application through Friday, May 27, 2016, by visiting the Good Sports website at goodsports.org and completing the online application.

Any questions regarding the application can be directed to the Good Sports Program Team at community@goodsports.org.

Review requirements and application.

Equipment donations include:

• Bleckley County Middle School (Bleckley County)
  Donated Equipment: Basketballs, basketball jerseys, playground balls, badminton equipment, stopwatches and soccer balls
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Hall County (Hall County)
  Donated Equipment: Basketballs, volleyballs, soccer balls, playground balls, and stopwatches
• Cascade Youth Organization. (Fulton County)
  Donated Equipment: Footballs, football jerseys, football pants, stopwatches, mouthguards, and football girdle pads
• Chicopee Woods Elementary School (Hall County)
  Donated Equipment: Soccer goals, soccer balls, cones, pinnies, and stopwatches
• Children in Action Sports Club, Inc. (Fulton County)
  Donated Equipment: Basketballs, soccer balls, footballs, pop-up goals, and soccer goals
• Clinch County High School (Clinch County)
  Donated Equipment: Softball catcher’s equipment, softball bats, uniforms, basketballs, footballs, and football girdle pads
• Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Academy (Fulton County)
  Donated Equipment: Leg extension/curl machine, bench press, weight plates, olympic bar, plyometric set, and work out apparel
• International Community School (DeKalb County)
  Donated Equipment: Soccer goals, soccer balls, volleyballs, basketballs, and playground balls
• Brown Middle School (Fulton County)
  Donated Equipment: Medicine balls, balance disks, agility ladders, speed rings, multi-size hurdle pack, pedometers, mouthguards, football girdles, softball pants, soccer balls, and stopwatches
• KiDsGyM USA (Fulton County)
  Donated Equipment: Foam vaulting box, gymnastics mats
• New Life S.A.Y. Yes! Center (Fulton County)
  Donated Equipment: Starter tennis nets, tennis racquets, volleyballs, badminton racquets, shuttlecocks, basketballs, jump ropes, and soccer balls
• Parkside Elementary School (Fulton County)
  Donated Equipment: Volleyballs, footballs, soccer balls, basketballs, floor hockey sets, playground balls, jump ropes, and pop-up soccer goals
• Richards Middle School (Gwinnett County)
  Donated Equipment: Basketballs, soccer balls, and basketball jerseys
• Taliaferro County School (Taliaferro County)
  Donated Equipment: Basketballs, track shorts, track tops, soccer balls, and stopwatches
• Tapestry Public Charter School (DeKalb County)
  Donated Equipment: Soccer balls, basketballs, track shorts, track tops, cones, and stopwatches
• Tiftarea YMCA (Tift County)
  Donated Equipment: Flag football belts, pinnies, corner flags, soccer goals, soccer balls, and footballs
• Wesley International Academy (DeKalb County)
  Donated Equipment: Volleyballs, volleyball nets, yoga mats, footballs, soccer balls, and basketballs

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About Good Sports
Good Sports gives all kids the lifelong benefits of sport and physical activity by providing equipment, apparel and footwear to those most in need. Since 2003, Good Sports has provided more than $16 million worth of equipment to more than 2,700 youth programs, impacting over TWO MILLION kids. Good Sports has also been awarded a coveted 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, the nation’s largest charity evaluator, for sound fiscal management, transparency and accountability; is a Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance accredited charity; and is listed on Social Impact Exchange’s S&I 100, an index of top American nonprofits creating meaningful social impact. For more information on how you can support Good Sports, please visit goodsports.org.

About The Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation
Investing across Georgia, the Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation helps nonprofit organizations reduce childhood obesity and improve youth fitness. The foundation was established in 1985 to serve as the philanthropic arm of the Atlanta Falcons. Since Arthur Blank acquired the Atlanta Falcons in 2002, the foundation has grown to be the largest owner-funded foundation in the National Football League, providing more than $20 million in grants to nonprofit organizations across the state of Georgia. For more information, visit AFYF.org.