Help EVERY kid play sports
October 10, 2011
Every kid can play sports, right?
Well, not always.
I’d like you to meet Joe Drexler, of BE THE GAME, an organization that knows how hard it is for some families to participate; 1 in 3 cannot afford even minor sports for their children. To help such families, BE THE GAME has launched the Power of Sport, the Power of ME campaign.
I am proud to speak out for this campaign; it takes sports beyond winning and losing, beyond stats and press clippings. It exemplifies the heart of what sports can be: a place for people to learn and grow and gain confidence. BE THE GAME wants to help every kid play sports.
Taylor is one of the young athletes that BE THE GAME has helped.
My name is Taylor and I am 11 years old. I have mild cerebral palsy, am a diabetic and have vision issues. I want to thank the “BE THE GAME” organization for helping my Mom to register me with Sports for the Disabled in Lambton County that will allow me to play sledge hockey. Sledge hockey is like regular hockey except that instead of skates, we sit on a sledge (which is like a sled) and have hockey sticks with picks on the end of them to allow us to pull and push ourselves across the ice. It is so much fun and I love playing hockey. WITHOUT BTG’s assistance my Mom would find it very difficult to afford for me to play.BE THE GAME IS MAKING A DIFFERENCE FOR ME!!! And that is awesome.
Joe, from BE THE GAME, is a father of four and believes that children like Taylor who play sports can grow into leaders, gain confidence, and develop character. He knows firsthand the struggle some families face in affording sports.
“Eleven years ago, we could not afford for our 5-year-old daughter, Samantha, to play hockey, until a group step up and sponsored her. I was so grateful, that I decided one day, I would do it this for someone too. Today, Samantha is 16, a wonderful person and an excellent athlete, and good coaches and teammates have helped her become who she is.”
Joe kept his promise and today is founder and CEO of BE THE GAME sportswear and Fundraising, a company that believes that every child who wants to play, deserves to play. Not only do they help teams fundraise, they also help disadvantaged children.
In August, BE THE GAME launched the Power of Sport, the Power of ME campaign. They sell Power of Sport decals for $5 each, all proceeds benefitting children in minor sports and community sports parks.
The goal: sell 2 million decals in North America.
“We will not stop until we reach our goal,” says Joe. “We encourage you, your child’s sports team, school, and companies to make a difference today. If your sports team orders a team set, we will promote your team photo on our campaign weblink as a team that is making a difference for children in sports. Together, we will create tomorrow’s leaders today through the power of sport.”
If you’d like to help kids like Taylor, take a few minutes to order your decals. Let’s share the joy of sports with others.
Sale TODAY and TOMORROW at Eastbay...for your sportswear needs.
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I am a big sports fan from Jamaica. It is good to know that there is such an organization. I am a new Follower of your Blog. Thanks for becoming a Follower of my Blog.
Thanks Judy, for stopping by my blog. I hope you enjoy my sports parenting insight!
Fantastic initiative. I wish we had something similar in South Africa. Disabled people everywhere have a hard time, but in the developing world the challenges are orders of magnitude higher. Still – every single child helped, anywhere in the world, is a step in the right direction.
Richard, I thought it was a wonderful effort. And yes, I agree, any child helped in any way is a good thing.
I love Taylor’s determination to play…very heartwarming! What Joe is doing will not only benefit her, but so many other kids. It makes such a HUGE difference in their lives. Thanks, Janis for sharing this
What an awesome idea. I love the parenting insight you share here.
Great article! People find a way!
Love that you shared this worthy cause with us all…Thank you.
Thank you Janis for sharing this, people need to know! It does make a huge difference in a child’s life!
Thank you so much for sharing this worthy cause Janis. Taylor is certainly an inspiration! Much love and blessings.
Wowsers…. Thank you for sharing with us! x0x
Norma Doiron @The LEARNED Preneur ╰☆╮
What a great cause! Everyone needs to feel that team spirit and self confidence.
I love your theme. Sports builds the character of a person.
Janis,
Love your blog and the topic of this post. There is so much opportunity in sports to do huge amounts of good.
Thanks for sharing the story of Taylor with us.
Kids have to learn how to co-operate, but let’s be honest, even adults do not co-operate and share equally, if that were true we would not have wealth or poverty.