Since the inception of Up2Us Sports, AmeriCorps has been by our side, providing grants to support service members to serve as youth sports coaches nationally. These members, many of who are from the communities in which they serve, play pivotal roles in the lives of youth in and around some of America’s most underserved communities. They give up early mornings, late evenings, and weekends to build positive relationships with youth who need coaches and mentors most. In addition to AmeriCorps National support, Up2Us Sports has been receiving additional AmeriCorps State funding through the Serve Illinois Commission, Volunteer Louisiana, CaliforniaVolunteers, PennServe and Volunteer Florida. These funds go directly towards placing service members serving as coaches in their respective states. In just eight years, in these five states and across the country, the impact has been immeasurable.

In addition to the grants that support our coaches, we have worked with the AmeriCorps VISTA program since 2010. The Up2Us Sports VISTA program has helped build the capacity of member host site organizations whose missions are to serve predominantly urban, at-risk youth through positive sports, educational and youth development programming. Over the past seven years, the program has placed over 189 AmeriCorps VISTA members to serve at over 70 of our member organizations nationwide.

These service members prove that AmeriCorps works not only because of the positive effects they are having on the lives of youth, but also because they are gaining the necessary professional skills to continue working in the nonprofit sector. Many of the young people serving will continue on with their current, or similar, organizations in full-time roles. Throughout its relationship with AmeriCorps National, State and VISTA programs, Up2Us Sports has seen service members move on to become managers and directors who, in turn, supervise AmeriCorps service members. Giving a year to serve the youth in these communities is equipping AmeriCorps service members with the skills they need to succeed in the 21st century workplace. All the while, they may also be ensuring that the next generation of young adults - who they are impacting now as children - are ready and willing to do the same.

Check out some of the key highlights that Up2Us Sports has been able to achieve through the support of AmeriCorps over the past eight years:

AmeriCorps National Direct

First received in 2010 to help launch Up2Us Sports and its premiere coaching program
Have provided grants for 1,484 service members and counting
Members have served 185,500 youth nationwide

AmeriCorps VISTA

First received in 2010 to help build capacity within Up2Us Sports and to our member organizations
Have placed 189 service members across 70 nonprofit organizations