Philanthropy Award

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Honoring great, creative ways to give back (this award is not voted on as we will be recognizing all the amazing philanthropy efforts by our member)

KC Crew

KC Crew partnered with the VFW in 2023 to help bring in a younger generation. It started with a 3-day cornhole fundraising tournament at the VFW National Convention in Phoenix. In addition to planning and organizing the entire tournament, we also helped raise sponsorship revenue by creating custom-branded boards for sponsors.

The tournament was a massive success helping raise over $31,000 for the VFW PACT Act in year 1 of the event. We are now a staple of the VFW National Convention going forward. The partnership expanded later in 2023 in the form of the Combat Tested Gaming leagues. We organized weekly Warzone & Rocket League esports leagues for veterans and active duty.

With over 300 active members in the league Discord channel in just our first season, it was a massive success and will be something we look to grow season after season. As it grows, we will assist the VFW with selling sponsorship on the leagues as a way to bring in additional funds back to the VFW.

VFW Cornhole Tournament - http://vfwcornhole.com/ - Combat Tested Gaming - https://kccrew.com/vfwgamingleagues/

Club Sport

Club Sport partnered with Sleep in Heavenly Peace to build 30+ beds for those in need. The Club Sport volunteers sanded, cut, drilled, bolted, branded and stained all the wood so no child sleeps on the floor! Then everyone enjoyed some pizza and drinks at the Rec Dec after. A series of volleyball tournaments were held over the holidays to raise money for the build as well as collecting donated bedding to complete the beds!

JAX Fray

JAX Fray held a 5 division Pickleball tournament with divisions for mixed gender, men, women, and different skill levels to raise money to help fund the expansion of courts at a local park. The tournament raised $4,000 for the park with a 40-team, 80-player tournament.

Come Play Detroit

ComePlayDetroit’s Play for a Cause initiative is a philanthropic endeavor allowing participants in select leagues the opportunity to donate money towards local causes they care about. Teams choose a charity to play for, and the top two teams at the end of the season will have a contribution made to the charity of their choice.

 

Overtime Sports Bozeman

OTS offers many nonprofits a fun a unique way to raise funds and build awareness throughout the community. Some of these fundraisers have been held to benefit the Women's Volleyball Club for the college, Youth who experience homelessness, the cancer community, raise money for the warming shelter and more!

Volo Kids Foundation

B-Active Campaign/ partnership with Baltimore City In 2023 Volo kids launched a full fledged partnership with Baltimore City and Mayor Brandon Scott. The B Active campaign was created to give all kids in every neighborhood access to free sports leagues. In the first year of the program had 5,445 kids in Baltimore participated in Volo Kids run programs in 160 programs. This partnership opened up lines of communications with schools to get more kids involved, unified marketing efforts and much easier access to get into rec centers.

The Numbers in 2023:

  • Kids Engaged 5,445
  • Volunteers Mobilized 891
  • Programs Completed 160 

Link to Program Details Here

Underdog Sports Leagues

After collaborating on large events, such as the 2018 USA Games, the Celebrity Unified Competition, Washington State Flag Football Championships, and various other community tournaments, Underdog and the Special Olympics collaborated again on a unique event that was the first of its kind.

The Special Olympics wanted to provide a unique experience for its younger athletes and reached out to Underdog to run the ”2023 Unified Champion Schools Cornhole Tournament”. The tournament had area schools play against each other in both elementary and high school divisions. Underdog helped provide a special experience for their young athletes by providing registration, gear and on-site staff to provide a space for the Special Olympics Athletes to learn and compete in a sport some had never played before.

Houston Sports & Social Club

In 2023, Houston Sports & Social Club held 26 charity events for those in need, raising a total of over $15,000 for 20 different charitable organizations and causes. HoustonSSC is committed to being a positive force in the world and prides itself on working with causes that directly impact our local community.