For the ninth consecutive year, Up2Us Sports has received funding from PennSERVE, Pennsylvania’s state service commission. For the 2024-2025 year, the $200,000 grant will support 10 Up2Us Sports coaches across Philadelphia, as well as economically vulnerable suburbs. Since 2015, PennSERVE has provided grants for 119 AmeriCorps service members through Up2Us Sports.
These national service members are targeted to serve 750 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 them achieve their potential on and off the playing field.
“For nearly a decade, Up2Us Sports’ coach-mentors have played critical roles throughout Philadelphia helping youth reach their potential by supporting their social, emotional, and physical wellbeing. ”
“Through our partnership, Up2Us Sports and PennSERVE are highlighting the lasting impact of national service and the transformative power of mentorship and Sports-Based Youth Development,” Says Jack Callahan, Senior National Director of AmeriCorps Programs. “For nearly a decade, Up2Us Sports’ coach-mentors have played critical roles throughout Philadelphia helping youth reach their potential by supporting their social, emotional, and physical wellbeing. We look forward to continuing this important work alongside PennSERVE and our community-based partners.
As Pennsylvania’s state service commission, PennSERVE is a grantmaking partner of the AmeriCorps agency. AmeriCorps is the federal agency connecting individuals and organizations through service and volunteering to tackle the nation’s most pressing challenges. PennSERVE is a member of America's Service Commissions (ASC), a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization representing and promoting state service commissions across the U.S. Each year, they award approximately $12 million in federal funding from the AmeriCorps agency to AmeriCorps programs in Pennsylvania. To learn more, visit www.dli.pa.gov/pennserve.
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 Philadelphia area, please contact Joey Raniero at jraniero@up2ussports.org.
