Up2Us Sports is a national service organization working at the grassroots level. We use sports and coaching to address some of the most pressing issues facing youth across the country today: mental wellness, gender equity, social justice and economic mobility in historically marginalized and underserved communities.
PLAYING SPORTS FOR
SERIOUS CHANGE
OUR ORGANIZATION USES SPORTS AS A SOLUTION TO THE CHALLENGES YOUNG PEOPLE FACE IN AMERICA TODAY.
Up2Us Sports News & Stories
Last month, it was announced that Up2Us Sports was one of 18 organizations awarded a grant from the LA84 Foundation. The grant aims to bolster play equity initiatives, benefiting over 64,000 young athletes across five Southern California counties.
We are thrilled to annouonce our 2024 Sneaker Ball Emcee - Sarah Spain! Sarah is an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning sports journalist who has been a jack of all trades in her 13 years at ESPN, working as a radio and podcast host, television personality, producer and columnist.
We are pleased to announce our 2024 Coaches and VISTAs of the Year for their exemplary service and commitment to serving and mentoring students nationwide.
At our 2024 Sneaker Ball on Wednesday, May 8th, we will be honoring Zachary Weiner, CoFounder of Overtime and Danita Johnson, President of Business Operations at D.C. United.
As an AmeriCorps-funded national service program, supported in California by California Volunteers, our LA-based staff and coaches were proud to serve their communities on March 31 for César Chávez Day.
Coach Katlyn serves as an Up2Us Sports coach at DC Girls Baseball. When asked who or what makes her feel empowered to be a coach and to explain the importance of women in sports breaking barriers and making a difference, this was her response.
AmeriCorps will lead the celebration of AmeriCorps Week 2024 during the agency’s 30th anniversary. The theme, AmeriCorps is not a moment, it’s a movement, demonstrates the hundreds of thousands of members and volunteers, and the millions of alumni, who have committed to get things done for America for the past three decades.
The Up2Us Sports Sneaker Ball is our most significant fundraiser of the year, celebrating the remarkable Up2Us Sports coaches and honorees who are advancing mentorship and altering the trajectory of at-risk youth's lives through sports.
While February is officially Black History Month, Up2Us Sports honors and celebrates Black voices all year long. Black History Month is an opportunity to pay special tribute to their voices and stories. We asked our coaches to share their thoughts on what Black History Month means to them and why representation in coaching matters.
Up2Us Sports announced a three-year National Partnership with SCORE Sports to become the exclusive uniform sponsor of the only national service program for coaching and the most diverse AmeriCorps program in the country.
The Up2Us Sports Training Team recently finished a successful year-long training series with the Southern California Golf Association’s Junior Golf Foundation.
Ciera Jones - an Up2Us Sports Coach at partner program Friends of Baseball in Portland, Oregon - was named a 2024 National Winner of the Positive Coaching Alliance Coach of the Year Award. She has served since March 2023 thanks to funding from AmeriCorps.
With the NFL's big game this weekend, Founder & CEO Paul Caccamo took the opportunity to write about how the Baltimore Ravens' on-the-ground community investment in Up2Us Sports programming makes them the best team in the NFL.
On Wednesday, February 7th, Up2Us Sports hosted very special conversation in celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day with Training Manager Alannah Scardino, Up2Us Sports Ambassador Simone Charley, and Kensington Soccer Club participant Evie Morales.
Each January, MENTOR unites communities for National Mentoring Month. We are proud to join MENTOR by amplifying the voices of three of our AmeriCorps service members this month.
We talk a lot about grassroots change at Up2Us Sports. But what does that look like? Javan was a student at Dolores T. Aaron Academy in New Orleans, who was coached by Up2Us Coaches. A few years later, he is now making a difference as an Up2Us Coach himself. Read his story.
Between January 11th and January 17th, 2024, Up2Us Sports staff, VISTAs and coaches across the country participated in AmeriCorps’ MLK Day of Service.
On Wednesday, January 10th, Up2Us Sports’ NYC-based Program staff participated in a special event at Fordham University alongside our partner Equity Design, Bronx Health REACH, & PS 32.
Welcome to a momentous occasion as we celebrate 14 incredible years of Up2Us Sports! Since our inception, we have been committed to empowering young people through the power of sports, national service and mentorship.
The L.A. Clippers Foundation honored two Up2Us Coaches as Clippers Community Heroes of the Game on Wednesday, January 10, 2024. Coaches Jasmine Hernandez and Frank Martinez were honored at halftime the game.
Up2Us Sports announced this week that ESPN Analyst, Reporter & Host Monica McNutt has joined the organization as an Athlete Ambassador.
Up2Us Sports is pleased to announce the addition of Scott Levy to their Board of Directors. At the November 14th quarterly Board of Directors Meeting, Levy was voted in unanimously. The Board now sits at 19 members.
As we close out 2023, we spoke with some of our coaches about what is most rewarding about being a coach, what made them want to become a coach, and who they want to say #ThanksCoach to.
Up2Us Sports coaches are leaders in the field of sports-based youth development (SBYD), but they often don't receive the recognition they deserve. Coaches' Corner is our way to show our appreciation for our incredible coaches who make positive change in their communities every day.
Save the Date for our 10th Annual Gala on Wednesday, May 8, 2024. It will be held at Guastavino’s in New York City from 6:30pm-10:30pm ET. More details coming soon!
This Native American Heritage Month, we are shining a light on Inter Tribal Sports. The Up2Us Sports Training Team recently finished a series of training sessions with the San Diego-based organization, which provides athletic opportunities and values education in conjunction with cultural, physical, mental, and spiritual development.
Up2Us Sports is urgently calling on you to take a stand for AmeriCorps and the invaluable impact it has on our communities. Currently, both the House and Senate are considering spending bills that would significantly cut funding for AmeriCorps, jeopardizing the education awards and essential resources it provides.
In October, the Up2Us Sports Training Team partnered with Wrestle Like A Girl to bring our training to two groups of international women’s wrestling groups with the goal of equipping them with strategies to build a healthy team culture.
November 4th marks National Coach Appreciation Day, and we humbly request your continued support as we launch our annual #ThanksCoach campaign.
October is National Bullying Prevention Month and is held annually to bring awareness and education on preventing childhood bullying and promoting kindness, acceptance, and inclusion.