There are more than 500,000 children in the foster care system across the United States and over 100,000 of them will never be reunited with their biological families. Many foster care youth find themselves plagued with issues of abandonment, mental, emotional and physical disabilities, low self-esteem, and poor academic performance, to name a few. Then there are those who age out of foster care without the necessary tools for survival who are then confronted with issues of substance abuse, higher levels of unemployment, unplanned pregnancies, homelessness, engage in criminal activity that often lead to incarceration, etc.
MISSION
Athletes for Charity is a nonprofit organization headquartered in New York. Our mission is to serve as a charitable initiative dedicated towards encouraging the giving of time, financial resources, and information, to improve the collective lives of disadvantaged youth, advance the common good and support the nonprofit sectors that benefit foster care youth.
Athletes for Charity achieves its mission by teaming up with professional athletes, sports leagues and teams, various sports professionals, foster care agencies and related organizations, as well as volunteers and mentors to empower and support the development of such underprivileged youth.
Athletes for Charity is a volunteer based organization that relies on its most valuable resource, volunteers, to benefit underprivileged youth. Athletes for Charity maintains its status as a project of Congressional District Foundations and is a 501(c)(3), 509(a)(1) federal tax exemption organization.
OBJECTIVES
Athletes for Charity's objectives as they relate to foster care, include but are not limited to the following:
Provide foster care teens with the necessary life skills and tools that they require to achieve successful and self sufficient lives leading into adulthood.
Assist with the recruitment of foster and adoptive parents, volunteers and mentors.
Join with various professionals, communities, and agencies to address issues confronted by foster care youth.
Provide support to foster care agencies and related professionals in their efforts to better the collective lives of youth in foster care and those who age out of the system.
Support select organizations that benefit underprivileged youth with preference to those which focus helping foster care youth achieve their fullest potential.
Additional objectives include:
Support the philanthropic initiatives of professional athletes to aim to benefit their communities while teaming up with the sports industry to present unique opportunities for underprivileged youth.
Collaborate with select middle and high schools to expose youth to the sports profession, interact with various sports professionals and promote physical fitness.
Raising awareness about Athletes for Charity's mission, programs and enlisting the support of others to enable our continued development.
Athletes for Charity's work range from the planning and implementation of football camps for youth; holiday toy drives for underprivileged children; assisting with the establishment of athlete foundations and charitable projects; sponsoring youth groups to attend sporting events; coordinating athlete appearances; and special events which include youth and athlete participation at our "Bowl with an Athlete" and "Back to School / Sports Day" events.
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