On behalf of the thousands of children that Joy of Sports is serving in 2005, I appreciate this chance to update you on our one of our most successful recent programs—Healthy Kids in San Diego. And more specifically, I want to request your support to help us secure a “challenge grant” we have just been presented to help expand the reach and impact of this great program into San Francisco and Washington, DC.

In response to the growing epidemic of childhood obesity, Joy of Sports launched our Healthy Kids Program in 2002 at the Del Rio Elementary School in San Diego County. Since then we have had much success both in measurable impact on the kids and in raising the public’s awareness of obesity and the overall poor health of so many of our children. A formal evaluation by a professor at Harvard University showed significant increases in participating children’s physical activity, fitness levels, time spent participating in sports outside of school, and self-confidence. And we are pleased that Del Rio recently received the prestigious Gallup Robinson award for the best physical activity program in San Diego County and that Healthy Kids has been recognized throughout the community as an exemplary program!

Building on this success, we are very excited to have recently launched our Healthy Kids Program in the San Francisco Bay Area and at a charter school in Northeast Washington, DC.

This is where we need your help…

Because of the success of Healthy Kids in San Diego, and with the recognition of the value of this program, two good friends of Joy of Sports have offered $5,000 to support current program expansion. However, to receive this very generous support we have to match that figure with $5,000 from other donors… and so we are turning to you.

Your donation today of $50, $250, or $500 will help us to secure this wonderful opportunity—and provide real impact on kids in Washington, DC and California.

I’m asking for your support because of your interest in our work, your past support, and your belief in the power of positive sports programming.

Bringing the Healthy Kids program to schools and communities is expensive, and we do not charge a fee for any of the services. Providing Coaches, Program Evaluators, equipment and so many other costs adds up quickly. We work to secure grants and gifts from foundations and corporations. However, these sources do not provide all the funding our programs need.

So it is the donation from you as an individual that really makes these programs possible … Your support is what enables us to meet our mission “To inspire at-risk children to grow healthy in body, mind, and spirit by teaching them critical life success skills through sports and education”.

And your support today is even more vital because of this “challenge grant” opportunity.

If possible, please make your donation using the link below by April 30th so that we can successfully reach our target goal of $5,000.

Over the last 15 years, Joy of Sports has reached over 30,000 kids, most all of whom live in low-income, underserved communities. The kids we reach are at-risk for a host of problems—from academic failure to obesity, and teen violence to drugs. But we can—and we do—make a difference, a measurable difference in their lives.

And support from friends like you makes this possible.

I am grateful for your attention to this request, and for your continued interest and support of our work. I will look forward to updating you on our progress as we bring the benefits of the Healthy Kids program to new communities.

Sincerely yours,

Andrew Oser
Founder and Executive Director

To make your donation, please click here