National News
Washington
Hires a New Head Coach
The Joy of Sports Foundation is proud to announce the appointment of our new
Executive Director, Mr. Jonathan Wright. Click here for
more...
Healthy
Preschoolers Program Set to Launch in Spring
2006
In partnership with Head Start Centers in San Diego County, CA, JSF will launch
a variation of its successful Healthy Kids program for preschool-aged children.
Click here for more...
Arlington
Kids Now Experiencing the Joy of Sports
Joy of Sports has recently teamed up with the Arlington County Tennis Association
to offer a year-round Healthy Kids Club in Arlington County, VA. Click here for
more...
New
Results Released for Healthy Kids Program in
San Diego
Data for years two and three of the Healthy Kids program at Del Rio Elementary
School in Oceanside, CA reveal tremendous results. Click here for
more...
Healthy
Kids Expands to DC
In partnership with Friendship Public Charter Schools, Joy of Sports has launched
an ambitious initiative at Woodridge Elementary (NE) and Chamberlain Elementary
(SE), based on our remarkable success in California. Click here for
more...
JSF
Bay Area Operations Growing
With a new wave of support from local foundations and corporate donors, JSF's
San Francisco operations are poised to expand. Click here for
more...
JSF Chosen for Inclusion in the 2005 Catalogue
for Philanthropy
We are pleased to announce that the Joy of Sports Foundation
has been selected for inclusion in the 2005 Catalogue
for Philanthropy ... a definite Seal of Approval for
our work! To see our write-up please click
here and to support our work through this wonderful
opportunity please follow this link: Donate
Now at the Catalogue for Philanthropy
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East Coast News
Nickelodeon Worldwide Day of Play Comes to
Washington, DC!
October 2004 - At our Southeast Tennis and Learning
Center site, the Joy of Sports Foundation and our partner
the Concerned Black Men (CBM) were pleased to participate
in the Worldwide Day of Play. For more information,
click
here...
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Healthy Kids Comes to Washington
Thanks to a generous grant from the US Department of
Education, JSF's groundbreaking Healthy Kids program
is coming to Woodridge Elementary School in Northeast
DC for the 2004-2005 school year. JSF will be partnering
with Friendship Charter Schools to bring the comprehensive
program to over 500 underadvantaged children. To read
more, click
here...
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Joy of Sports Hosts All-Star Picnic
In celebration of another great year of Joy of Sports
programming, the foundation hosted an informal picnic
at the Lee District Park in Franconia, VA, on Sunday,
August 15, 2004. We would like to especially thank Whole
Foods for their donation of the great lunch! To read
more, click here...
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JSF Brings Tennis to
Southeast DC
Through a new partnership with the Concerned Black Men
(CBM) of Washington and the Southeast Tennis & Learning
Center, Joy of Sports is offering a Saturday afternoon
program of tennis, life skills, nutrition education,
and academic tutoring to kids in Ward 8, an economically
disadvantaged area of the District of Columbia. CBM
members are serving as mentors for the kids, creating
an excellent adult:child ratio. The off-court program
is the most comprehensive JSF has offered in the DC
to date.
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Star Power Expands in
DC
Our Star Power program uses physical play activities
to help children develop in five key areas: concentration,
cooperation, relaxation, imagination and self-esteem.
Since 1997, Joy of Sports Foundation has served more
than 140 child care centers training over 550 teachers
and directly reaching over 5,000 children in the Washington,
DC area. With our training model, child care providers
are able to continue to teach Star Power to the children
in their care for years to come. Recently, we launched
Star Power at 5 new centers serving 171 disadvantaged
children in metropolitan Washington, D.C. As always,
the program is proving to be a winner with the children
and the staff at the centers. For more information on
Star Power, click here...
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West Coast News
Healthy Kids Program Wins Award
Del Rio Elementary School in Oceanside, CA, the pilot
site for our Healthy Kids program, recently won the
Gallup Robinson award for having the best physical activity
program in San Diego
County. The award was bestowed by the California section
of the prestigious American Association for Health,
Physical Activity, Recreation, and Dance (CAHPERD).
For the past two school years, JSF has provided Physical
Education classes at Del Rio. We have also provided
training to Del Rio teachers in how to integrate phsysical
actvity and nutrition into classroom activities. In
addition, we have provided an intensive Healthy Kids
Club after-school program and summer camp to more than
60 children selected on the basis on having high risk
factors for obesity and poor health. We are proud that
our efforts, along with those of Del Rio's great Principal
and teachers, have won this recognition, JSF looks forward
to having the opportunity to partner with many more
schools to bring children the health and academic benefits
that come from our Healthy Kids approach.
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Healthy Kids Program Reduces Obesity In Oceanside
School
The childhood obesity epidemic
has been reversed—at least at one elementary school
in Oceanside . A formal evaluation just completed by
a Harvard professor indicates obesity is on the decline
and physical activity and healthy eating are on the
rise at Del Rio Elementary School . Del Rio is the site
of the Healthy Kids 2005 project, provided by the Joy
of Sports Foundation.
Healthy Kids 2005 is a multi-faceted project funded
primarily by the California Endowment. The project aims
to increase the amount and quality of time Del Rio students
spend in physical education, raise their nutritional
literacy, and help them build healthy eating habits.
It also provides educational opportunities and information
for parents and teachers. Del Rio , located in a low-income,
heavily Latino neighborhood, serves a population that
is particularly at-risk for obesity and other health
problems.
The evaluation report was conducted by Dr. Myra White
of Harvard Medical School. She found that 22% of Del
Rio children who were overweight at the beginning of
the 2003-04 school-year had a Body Mass Index (BMI)
in the normal range by the end of the school-year. According
to Dr. White, “There was a highly statistically
significant drop in the average BMI for all children.
This finding is particularly impressive because the
BMI of children increases with time as they grow.”
In addition, Dr. White found that students had adopted
more active lifestyles, increased their cardiovascular
fitness, and were eating more fruits and vegetables
and less candy.
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Healthy Kids Program Launched in California
The Joy of Sports Foundation has received a three-year
grant of $400,000 from the California Endowment to fund
our new Healthy Kids 2005 project. JSF is partnering
with Del Rio Elementary School in Oceanside, CA to undertake
a multifaceted effort to reduce the risk factors of
obesity and increase the overall health and fitness
of approximately 700 students. The goal is to develop
a model program which can be widely replicated to serve
many children locally and nationally. JSF is working
with Del Rio to increase the amount and quality of time
K-5 students are spending in physical education, raise
children’s nutritional literacy, help them build
healthy eating habits, and provide educational opportunities
and information for parents. JSF is offering an after-school
and summer Healthy Kids Club for 40 boys and girls who
have been identified as having high risk factors for
obesity. Using JSF’s “Every Child is a Star”
coaching approach, the programs build children’s
self-esteem and help them develop a love and lifetime
habit of physical activity. For more information on
the Healthy Kids program, click
here...
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New Partnerships in San Diego Allow JSF to
Expand Services
JSF has recently formed three new partnerships which
have enabled us to expand our impact on at-risk children
and families in the San Diego area. In collaboration
with SD State University, we are offering after-school
Star Soccer programs at
three elementary schools in Chula Vista, a heavily Latino
area close to the Mexican border. Our classes are part
of Project Andale, a health promotion/anti-obesity program.
We are partnering with the SD County Health and Human
Services Agency to train parents and teachers at 10
Head Start Centers to use Star Power activities to help
their children become more active and build life skills.
We have also been working with Neighborhood Health Care
in Escondido to offer a physical activity program for
obese youngsters. This is part of NFL Coach, a comprehensive
effort to help these children develop a healthier lifestyle.
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JSF Launches Parent Training Program
The Star Program for Parents
of Preschoolers is finishing up its first year, with
350 parents trained to teach their preschoolers life
skills like self esteem and concentration while they
teach their child the basics of soccer. The families
also enjoy Star Power exercises together, along with
stretching and positive parenting skills. First 5 Commission
of San Diego (Prop 10), the funder for this program,
recently notified JSF that they are pleased with our
progress in our first year and will fund an additional
year of parent training programs. JSF looks forward
to another year of serving San Diego County families
with this unique approach to parent training.
For more information on Star Power, click
here...
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Fundraisers
Viva La Havana Raises
Over $50,000 for JSF
Joy of Sports would like to thank all those who sponsored
and attended Viva La Havana, our fourth annual fundraiser.
We are so pleased with how this
great night turned out, and are grateful to all the
Sponsors,
Donors,
and especially to those who attended who helped us
to raise over $50,000 that will help support our sports-based
educational programs this year and next. In
particular we would like to thank SureClick,
KPMG,
Amtrak
and Acela Express, Black
Entertainment Television, JetBlue,
and Pillsbury
Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP for making this Event
a terrific success!
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Help JSF Secure a Challenge
Grant for Healthy Kids Program
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. With Healthy
Kids taking root in both Washington, DC, and San Francisco,
Joy of Sports is poised to dramatically expand the
reach of the program. This challenge grant will aid
us tremendously in this expandion. However, to receive
this very generous support we have to match that figure
with $5,000 from other donors. Please click
here for more information...
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Viva Las Vegas 3 A
Tremendous Success
On November 12th, 2004, JSF hosted its 3rd Annual
Fall Fundraiser, the Viva Las Vegas Casino Night at
the Almas Temple in Washington DC. We had great attendance
for this event, and we we are so thankful for our
generous Event Sponsors, Donors, and attendees who
helped to raise over $65,000 in support of our sports-based
educational programs! For more information, click
here...
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JSF Hits the Links for Cross Creek Golf Fundraiser
Joy of Sports partnered with Golf Exposure to host
the Cross Creek Two-Man Golf Challenge on May 11,
2004. It was a day filled with beautiful weather and
great golf. Events included the tournament itself,
a BBQ banquet, and a silent auction to benefit the
Foundation. JSF would like to thank all those who
attended to help us raise funds for our award-winning
programs. To read more, click
here...
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JSF Hosts San Francisco Tennis Fundraiser
The Joy of Sports Foundation, in partnership with
the Golden Gateway Tennis & Swim Club, hosted
their 1st annual round robin tennis tournament and
silent auction in San Francisco on Sunday, March 21,
2004. The tournament was a great success, and the
items in the silent auction were so enticing that
people outside the event even stopped by to bid! Thank
you to all those who participated to raise funds for
our San Francisco-area programs. To read more, click
here...
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More Than 1,000 Runners Participate in JSF-Reston
Runners Charity Race
With over one thousand runners of all ages and ability
levels, the Reston Runners 2003 Fall Into Winter 10K
Race and 5K Fitness Run/Walk was a massive fundraising
success for Joy of Sports. We would like to thank
all who participated to help support our programs
for disadvantaged youth. For more information, click
here...
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Second Annual Viva Las Vegas Fundraiser a
Success
Thank you to the over 400 people who attended JSF's
second annual Viva Las Vegas fall fundraiser on November
2, 2003. The night of dancing, casino gaming, silent
auction bidding, raffles, and assorted prize winning
contests raised tremendous funds for our foundation.
To read more, click here...
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