Sports4Kids
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BRONZE MEDALIST Sports4Kids hires young adults who work full time in 92 low income California elementary schools as Site Coordinators providing daily access to lunchtime, recess and after school physical activity. These 92 Site Coordinators are a source of inspiration to the over 35,000 young people with whom they interact each day, encouraging safe, meaningful play, while creating an environment that is inclusive and contributes to the learning environment. Michelle Barron is a first year AmeriCorps member serving with Sports4Kids at Goss Elementary School in Alum Rock, CA, near San Jose. She writes: “My school has a big grass field, which is really lucky. Unfortunately, when I got to the school the field was full of gopher holes and the grass was about two feet high. I asked the Principal about getting the grass cut and he said that he’d been asking the district for years. Then one day last week, I got to school and the grass was cut! I found a patch to play without any big holes and set up a soccer game there." The next day, the principal was out doing yard duty with some of the other teachers. As recess ended he called me over. He said he and the teachers were counting the kids and over half of students were participating in games that I had set up. There was a big group of students playing soccer with me and another large group of kids playing 4-sqaure, using rock, paper, scissors to solve their conflicts. The principal said last year all the kids would do is walk around and talk and now it is so much better. They’re not fighting. Sometimes it’s hard to see the bigger picture when you’re in the middle of it. Hearing that feedback, that is the thing that keeps me going.” |
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