Laureus Sport for Good Foundation USA Requests Proposals for Youth Sport Grants on Atlanta’s Westside
Powered by Mercedes-Benz USA, Laureus USA issues RFP to meet the
needs directly expressed by Westside Residents
ATLANTA–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#SportForGoodAtlanta—Laureus
Sport for Good Foundation USA (Laureus USA) announced today that it
is accepting proposals for its Sport for Good Atlanta grants. Laureus
USA will fund youth sports programs in three of Atlanta’s Westside
communities – English Avenue, Vine City, and Washington Park – where
K-12 children have had limited access to extracurricular athletics. The
Sport for Good Atlanta grants will be funded by Mercedes-Benz
USA, an Atlanta-based corporation and long-time national partner of
Laureus USA.
Laureus USA is a national non-profit whose mission is to change the
lives of youth and strengthen communities through the power of sports.
With over a decade of experience in sports-based youth development,
Laureus USA knows that long-term impact is achieved by empowering local
program providers to target the needs that are most relevant to their
own communities.
“These grants are in response to the Westside community’s input and
feedback,” said Benita
Fitzgerald-Mosley, CEO of Laureus Sport for Good USA. “The core of
our Foundation’s strategic approach is to ensure our work directly
impacts our beneficiaries and the communities in which they live. We
were purposeful in learning about challenges from Westside residents
themselves, and identifying where the needs exist. Those insights enable
us to more effectively apply our expertise in using sport programs to
drive youth development.”
To help gather those critical insights, Laureus USA partnered with Families
First, Inc. Atlanta’s oldest and largest nonprofit family services
organization. Over the course of the past nine months, Laureus USA and
Families First have solicited feedback from hundreds of people living
and working in English Avenue, Vine City, and Washington Park.
“Our partnership shares a common goal: to identify and support
innovative programs and to be a good Westside neighbor contributing to
the positive, collaborative fabric of our community,” said Kim
Anderson, CEO of Families First. “From the outset, Laureus
understood the importance of engaging Westside residents in the
development of their plans, and we were glad to help them in gathering
and aggregating critical information and data.”
Laureus USA and Families First wanted to better understand the
challenges that Westside Atlanta youth face, as well as what youth
sports opportunities currently exist. Out of 400 residents’ surveys,
over half of which were responses from youth 12 – 18 years old, only 15%
of respondents felt that there were enough sport offerings for youth in
their community. An overwhelming 79% felt it was important for youth in
the community to have access to sports, but affordability was cited as
the greatest barrier to families engaging in youth sport programs. The
local knowledge shared by youth, program providers and parents have now
informed the focus of the Sport for Good Atlanta grants.
It is the goal of Laureus USA and its national partner Mercedes-Benz USA
to help address these concerns by assisting local program providers in
closing this opportunity gap.
“We know from past experience with Laureus in other cities across the
U.S. that participation in sports can have a very positive impact on
children, specifically their academic success,” said Dietmar Exler,
president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA. “Sports can also provide a
unifying force that strengthens local communities. As a member of the
Atlanta community, we’re looking forward to our partnership with Laureus
USA enabling us to harness sports to help open future pathways of
success for the children of the Westside.”
Contacts
Laureus USA
Kimberly Krautter, 404-229-1073 CALL/TEXT
kimberly.krautter@gmail.com
