KIDS Community PROGRAMS
2024 Programs
Partnering for Health
KIDS Community is supporting the American Heart Association through its Cour Vitae Society and Teen of Impact Program to raise awareness of the benefits of fitness and heart health and bring CPR training to youth in the community via access to training material and fitness, health and wellness opportunities.
JUST PLAY!
KIDS Community is committed to providing sports, fitness and play opportunities for youth in the community. In 2024 we will again partner with local schools and NC Elite Volleyball Club to support these opportunities. Youth sports and fitness leadership and mentor opportunities are also available.
Addressing Food Insecurity
KIDS Community continues to work to address food insecurity in our local community via food drives in collaboration with local partners and the Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC. In 2024 we will explore opportunities to provide support for summer lunch programs. Contact us if you want to partner to help with this initiative!
Dare to Lead
KIDS Community Dare to Lead is an empowering program that nurtures the leadership potential within our youth by providing a platform for them to make a meaningful impact in their communities. This initiative focuses on cultivating leadership skills through hands-on experiences in community service and engagement, where young leaders are not just participants but architects of positive change, as they design and implement projects that address local needs. Collectively, this program encourages a culture where youth not only dare to lead but also inspire their peers to join in, creating a ripple effect of enthusiasm and civic responsibility.
2020 - 2023 Programs
JUST PLAY! Community-based Youth Sports Initiative
KIDS Community, Inc. is excited to announce that we have launched a research and community action program aimed to assess the status of community-based youth sports in the evolving landscape of expanding club sports and the professionalization of youth sports, impacts of loss of access to youth sports on health and wellness of youth, particularly from low socioeconomic backgrounds, and potential strategies and programs to address funding for and access to community-based youth sports.
It is well established that youth sports have changed significantly over the past 20 years, with recent acceleration of declining access to community based-youth sports. Numerous factors have contributed to these changes, including but not limited to the rising cost of participation, lack of access to facilities and equipment, shortage of qualified coaches and volunteers, global recessions, the pandemic, and the further professionalization of youth sports. These changes are causing significant shifts in the roles of non-profit sports organization, club sports organizations, corporate funders and investors. Much needs to be done to attenuate the loss of access, the ensuing mental and physical health challenges in our community's youth, and set and achieve goals toward gaining equity in access to youth sports.
Our research program will first focus on an assessment of the current landscape of youth sports nationally, via a literature review and engagement with leading organizations involved in the field. We will then dive deeper into assessing the local (Raleigh, NC and surrounding counties) and regional (NC, SC, VA) access to community-based youth sports via engagement with relevant organizations in these communities. Additionally, we will utilize surveys and interviews with youth sports participants, parents, coaches and administrators in these communities with a goal of gathering data on current participation levels, perceptions of access to youth sports, impact of club sports on access, state youth sports professionalization, barriers or challenges to participation and correlation of mental and physical health impacts and access to participation. Further, we will undertake a comprehensive policy analysis to assess policies and regulations related to youth sports and analyze their potential impact on community sports programs.
Following these assessments, we will work along with communities to develop an array of potential solutions for addressing access community-based youth sports, including policy recommendations, funding strategies, and best practices to support and grow the sustainability of youth-based community sports program, aiming to provide equitable access, and working to improve the overall health and wellness of youth in the community.
CLICK HERE for more information about the JUST PLAY! program development.
Addressing Food Insecurity
Food insecurity, a pressing global challenge, touches the lives of millions, depriving them of access to sufficient, nutritious food. This complex issue transcends geographical boundaries, affecting both developed and developing nations. Rooted in various factors such as poverty, conflict, climate change, and economic instability, food insecurity manifests as chronic hunger, malnutrition, and a lack of essential nutrients.
The impact of food insecurity is profound, undermining the health, well-being, and productivity of individuals and communities.. Addressing food insecurity requires comprehensive and localized strategies that consider the unique socio-economic, cultural, and environmental factors of each region. In collaboration with members of our local community, KCI has developed a portfolio of activities to address local food insecurity. LEARN MORE
Return to School Partnership
Who says we can't be opportunistic in our approach to serving the our community? Partnerships are the power behind supporting local communities. In Spring 2021, as local school systems were deciding to return to school after a year of virtual learning due to the pandemic, KIDS Community was approached by a local pharmaceutical company about partnering to supply schools and teachers with supplies. As the company was in the midst of moving their offices, they identified supplies and equipment that they would not move to their new location. Their offer was to make the supplies available for KIDS Community to collect, store and distribute to the local community. Over a period of 9 months, in partnership with UCB Pharma and NC Elite Volleyball Club, KIDS Community collected, stored and distributed over $75,000 in new supplies and equipment, including helping to supply a new school in the area with startup supplies for their teachers. KIDS Community is always open to new partnerships that can help serve the local community! CONTACT US
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