For the third consecutive year, Up2Us Sports has received funding from Serve Washington, Washington’s state service commission. For the 2021-2022  year, the $151,000 grant will support 18 Up2Us Sports coaches around the state of Washington with emphasis on economically vulnerable communities in King and Pierce counties. 

These national service members will be responsible for 800 young people served in a variety of athletic and holistic educational development activities that are designed to improve physical fitness and social dexterity, with the ultimate goal of leveraging these improvements to better themselves and their community.

Since 2019, Serve Washington has provided grants for 15 service members, who have served 2,879 youth throughout the state of Washington.

“Serve Washington and Up2Us Sports will continue to partner to advance our aligned missions to improve lives through national service and volunteerism,” says Hillery Gladden, Senior National Director, Programs. “At Up2Us Sports that means training AmeriCorps coaches to transform the lives of youth. Sports-based youth development has never been more critical as we come out of the COVID-19 crisis and as young people are wanting and needing to participate in social interaction and play.”

Serve Washington advances national service, volunteerism and civic engagement to improve lives; expands opportunity to meet the local critical needs of residents of Washington; and strengthens community capacity while creating healthy and resilient communities. For more information, visit servewashington.wa.gov.

We are currently actively recruiting coaches and host sites nationwide. If you are interested in becoming a coach-mentor or hosting a coach in the Greater Seattle area, please contact jlemessurier@up2ussports.org.