For the eighth consecutive year, Up2Us Sports has received funding from Serve Illinois, Illinois’ state service commission. For the 2023-2024 year, the $305,581 grant will support 25 Up2Us Sports coaches around the city of Chicago with emphasis on economically vulnerable communities of the South and West Side.

This cohort of national service members will serve 1,200 youth and engage them in athletic and mentorship activities that are designed to improve their physical health and develop social-emotional learning skills that will help achieve their potential on and off the playing field.

“Since 2015, the partnership between Up2Us Sports and Serve Illinois has resulted in thousands of youth being connected to highly-trained and caring adult coach-mentors and has created meaningful opportunities for young adults to serve their communities as AmeriCorps Service Members,” says Jack Callahan, Senior National Director of AmeriCorps Programs. “Up2Us Sports understands that coach-mentors and sports-based youth development play a vital role in the health and wellbeing of youth throughout Chicago. We look forward to another year of service to our communities and to continue harnessing the power of sports for positive change.”

The Serve Illinois Commission is a 40-member (25 voting and 15 non-voting), bi-partisan board appointed by the Governor and administered by the Illinois Department of Human Services. The enabling legislation of the Serve Illinois Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service (Serve Illinois) promotes, partners, and supports community service in public/private programs, while stimulating new volunteerism/community service initiatives to meet the needs of Illinois citizens. Within the Illinois Department of Human Services, we serve as a resource advocate for community service agencies, volunteers and programs which utilize State and private volunteers. Serve Illinois oversees all aspects of program administration and training for the Illinois AmeriCorps program, which provides trained, dedicated individuals to help non-profit organizations and other governmental agencies accomplish their missions and make more effective use of volunteers. To learn more, visit www.Serve.Illinois.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 Chicago or its surrounding communities, please contact Frank Nares at fnares@up2ussports.org.