Change Up Sports

The fifth session of our More Than Sports Program with Community of Compassion CDC Inc. focused on one of our favorite activities: softball! 29 young people joined us at Christy Rec Center in Cobbs Creek for a fun-filled evening which included a carnival game-style throwing activity as well as a scrimmage designed for teaching and learning, and the participants did an amazing job! The word of the day was “confidence” which all of the young people worked on building and exhibiting during the session! Community of Compassion CDC is one of six Community Evening Resource Centers (CERC) in Philly that are open from 7pm to 2am to provide a safe space for young people and we are thrilled to be able to work together to provide a range of positive activities! Thanks so much to the Philadelphia Youth Sports Collaborative Philly Youth Sports Fund and the Philadelphia Activities Fund for their support of the More Than Sports initiative and Kathryn Riley, Sam Romain, and Heena Desai for volunteering their time at the clinic!. And, thanks as always to Gatorade for providing coolers and goodies! Can’t wait for tonight!🥎

So happy to stop by the Leveling the Playing Field, Inc. warehouse in Sharon Hill today to pick up some much-needed equipment donations—including, gloves, softballs, soccer balls, and more—for our sports-based youth development programming in Philly, Sierra Leone, and Belize! Thank you so much as always to LPF for reducing barriers to play for so many young people!🥎

The rainy weather wasn’t going to stop the fun last Wednesday for the fourth session of our More Than Sports Program at Community of Compassion CDC Inc., so we changed plans and moved inside for some team building games! 32 young people spent the evening playing charades and get-to-know-you bingo, participating in a ball and spoon race, and more, all while enjoying lots of tasty treats and healthy snacks! The word of the day was “flexibility” which all of the participants demonstrated by easily adapting to staying indoors for the night’s activities! Community of Compassion CDC is one of six Community Evening Resource Centers (CERC) in Philly that are open from 7pm to 2am to provide a safe space for young people and we are so grateful to the Philadelphia Youth Sports Collaborative Philly Youth Sports Fund and the Philadelphia Activities Fund for generously supporting our programming there! Extra special thanks to Kathryn Riley, Sam Romain, Heena Desai, Neil Yersak, and Vicki Lenoci for volunteering their time to facilitate the night’s activities and to Gatorade for providing goodies and coolers! Tonight: softball!🥎

Last Wednesday we had so much fun being back at Community of Compassion CDC Inc. for our third session of our eight-week More Than Sports program for Trivia and Doughnut night! 32 young people split up into four teams and spent the evening answering trivia questions on a wide range of topics while enjoying lots of healthy and yummy snacks and treats! The word of the day was “sportsmanship” which all of the participants demonstrated throughout the night–amazing job everyone! Community of Compassion CDC is one of six Community Evening Resource Centers (CERC) in Philly that are open from 7pm to 2am to provide a safe space for young people and we love partnering with them to provide positive, fun, and structured activities! Thank you so much to the Philadelphia Youth Sports Collaborative Philly Youth Sports Fund and the Philadelphia Activities Fund for generously supporting the program and Blaine Crowley, Kathryn Riley, Sam Romain, and Heena Desai for volunteering their time to make Trivia and Doughnut Night possible (with special thanks to Blaine for serving as quiz master!) And, thanks as always to Gatorade for providing goodies and coolers! Can’t wait for the next session!

Thank you so much to the Chester County Peace Movement for asking us to share about the work of Change Up Sports at their International Day of Peace celebration and event, focused on cultivating a culture of peace, on Saturday, September 21 in West Chester. Saturday was the 25th anniversary of the United Nations-designated International Day of Peace and we were honored to be included. Thanks again Chester County Peace Movement!

We want to say the biggest thank you to Titi’s Learning Academy for the amazing recent donation of new school supplies for our Softball for Success program and other community initiatives in Sierra Leone! Titi’s Learning Academy generously donated 210 composition books, 142 folders, and 77 backpacks (half of which are filled with additional assorted school supplies) and we could not be more grateful for this wonderful and much-needed contribution. Titi’s Learning Academy is a longtime Philadelphia Adult League Softball t-shirt sponsor (with all of the funds going towards Change Up Sport’s programming) and we cannot thank them enough for their multifaceted support of our mission! Thanks again Titi’s Learning Academy and Brenda and Danny Marquez—you’re incredible!

The second night of our eight-week More Than Sports program with Community of Compassion CDC Inc. was such a blast–this time with kickball! 28 young people joined us for a fun-filled evening at the Tiffany Fletcher Rec Center, complete with lots of healthy snacks and treats. The word of the day was “teamwork” and all of the participants did a great job of working together on the field! Community of Compassion CDC serves as one of six Community Evening Resource Centers (CERC) in Philly that are open from 7pm to 2am to provide a safe space for young people and we are so happy to be able to help provide positive activities for the kids who utilize the center. Thank you so much to Kathryn Riley, Neil Yersak, Vicki Lenoci, Sam Romain, and Heena Desai for volunteering their time to facilitate the clinic; the Philadelphia Youth Sports Collaborative Philly Youth Sports Fund and the Philadelphia Activities Fund for supporting the program; and Gatorade for donating coolers and goodies! Up next: trivia and doughnut night!

On Friday, September 6, we were so happy to be included as a part of African Family Health Organization’s Education Symposium at Bartram’s Garden where participants had the opportunity to learn about educational resources in Philadelphia! We were thrilled to be able to provide healthy snacks and to donate assorted new school supplies–including backpacks, pencils, pens, crayons, markers, composition books, and more–for the event as well as to run a throwing station where attendees could have fun taking a break and seeing how fast they could throw! Thanks so much to AFAHO for having us as a part of this great initiative and to Change Up Sports board member Janelle Wills for volunteering her time to staff our booth!

Last Wednesday we were so excited to kick off our eight-week More Than Sports program with Community of Compassion CDC Inc. in Cobbs Creek! Community of Compassion CDC serves as one of six Community Evening Resource Centers (CERC) in Philly that are open from 7pm to 2am to provide a safe space for young people to go at night and we are thrilled to continue our partnership this fall! 21 young people joined us for an evening of pizza, snacks, and lots of engaging team building activities designed to foster communication, teamwork, and more, including a Rock, Paper, Scissors Relay Race and Tall Tower competition (where teams competed to build the tallest tower using an assortment of items). The word of the day was “fun” and the session was filled with so much laughter and so many smiles! All of the participants did an awesome job and we can’t wait for the next one! Thank you so much to the Philadelphia Youth Sports Collaborative Philly Youth Sports Fund and the Philadelphia Activities Fund for making the program possible and Gatorade for donating goodies and coolers. And, thank you to our amazing volunteers and Change Up Sports board members including Kathryn Riley, Jackie Payton, and Sam Romain for facilitating the evening’s activities and Community of Compassion CDC for the ongoing collaboration. Tonight: kickball!

We want to say a huge thank you to Doro Bet Ethiopian Chicken House and Alif Brew and Mini Mart on Baltimore Avenue in West Philly for the awesome equipment donations including softballs, baseballs, basketballs, soccer balls, and more for our sports-based youth development initiatives in Philly, Belize, and Sierra Leone! Both Doro Bet and Alif Brew are also longstanding Philadelphia Adult League Softball t-shirt sponsors (all of the sponsorship funds go towards our programming) and we are so grateful for all of their ongoing support! You’re the best Doro Bet and Alif Brew!