Community Sports Movement Helps First Students Get Connected
The Freedom for Youth Community Sports Movement was created to help students learn life lessons through sports and engage with the community. Staff and volunteers identify students' athletic abilities and then connect them with sports programs and teams in the community, providing support through donations. The first four students supported in the program are:
Deacon was our first student in the program, traveling this past summer to Milwaukee, St. Louis, Dallas, Atlanta, and Minneapolis with Big Guard University youth basketball program. This was his first time being a part of a team and he learned valuable lessons that will help him as he grows on the basketball floor and in the community.
The Community Sports Movement sent 15 Freedom students to the Monte Morris Basketball Camp in Ames this summer thanks to a generous gift from the two-day camp. It was the first time for all of our students to meet an NBA player and the experience was enjoyable for them, opening their minds to the possibility for them to make it far in the sport if they put in the work. We want to give a special shout-out to Monte, who played on the successful Iowa State University teams in the 2010s with our Program Development Senior Manager, Kourtlin Jackson.
Our staff and volunteers have previously expressed that one of our fifth-graders, O’Trell had a strong interest in playing soccer but didn’t have the opportunity to join a club. We contacted several clubs and discovered a great fit at Oakridge Neighborhood. He's been playing with Oakridge this fall.
Prayag, one of our 6th graders, has shown soccer skills at Freedom and wanted to be on a team to increase his skills. We connected him with the J-Hawk Soccer Club and he is practicing and playing with an Urbandale team this fall.
We thank Your Life Iowa for sponsoring our Community Sports Movement. Without such support, we would not be able to offer these opportunities to our students. If you or your organization or church feel called to sponsor the Community Sports Movement, please email Kourtlin Jackson.
15 Freedom students took part in the Monte Morris Basketball Camp this summer in Ames (above left). Deacon (above right) is growing as a basketball player and as a person with his Big Guard University teammates.