[Watch] Up2Us Celebrates AmeriCorps 20th Anniversary

On September 12, the Up2Us team helped AmeriCorps celebrate its 20th Anniversary all over the country.  Over 50 NYC Coach Across America coaches and VISTA members recited the AmeriCorps pledge in Times Square to commemorate the first pledge taken 20 years ago.  DC coaches attended the national AmeriCorps 20th celebration on the White House lawn with President Obama and President Clinton speaking on the importance of national service.  Up2Us also attended state celebration events in Illinois, Florida and Louisiana. AmeriCorps has been invaluable in the Up2Us history, as in 2009 it provided Up2Us one of the first grants to begin hiring its first Coach Across America coaches. Since then, Up2Us has grown and placed over 1700 Coach Across America coaches to use sports to transform the lives of America's youth.  These trained coaches can lead to significant increases in physical activity that reduces the risk of obesity.  Coach Across America coaches have helped youth in the worst performing schools to refocus their energy into educational pathways that lead to college and successful careers.

In addition to supporting coaches, AmeriCorps has also supported over 100 Up2Us AmeriCorps VISTAs.  VISTAs work as a part of the Up2Us team to build capacity in grassroots organizations that use sports-based youth development to improve the local community.  These volunteers help to increase the effectiveness of sports organizations all over the country.

Up2Us is proud to be a part of the first 20 years of national service.  Happy birthday, AmeriCorps!

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Coach Across America coaches from the DC area attended the AmeriCorps 20th Anniversary ceremony at the White House!

Photo by Coach Joseph

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The Up2Us NOLA team attends the Louisiana state event for the AmeriCorps 20th Anniversary.

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Coach Across America coaches and AmeriCorps VISTA members celebrate in NYC.

Coaches Cycle to Raise Money for Operation Coach

Cycle Forward for Operation Coach was a great success!   Our New York Coach Across America (CAA) coaches came to sweat and cycle on behalf of their generous sponsors.  Fitness expert, Zack Schares instructed three intense, but fun spin classes set to a live DJ and energetic music.   We are very grateful to everyone that participated and donated to make our first Cycle Forward event a success.  All of the money donated will go towards Up2Us’ veteran coach initiative called Operation Coach, which employs post-9/11 veterans to serve as coach/mentors to youth in underprivileged areas. A huge “Thank you!” to you to everyone that was involved!

For more information on live DJ cycling classes, visit www.zaxfit.com

Yahoo! Finance | NFL Star Prince Amukamara Joins Up2Us as Ambassador

Originally posted on Yahoo! Finance on September 10, 2014.

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - Sep 10, 2014) - Up2Us (up2us.org), a national not-for-profit organization leading the movement to promote sports as the solution to the critical challenges facing America's youth, announced today that New York Giants cornerback, Prince Amukamara, has joined the organization as an Ambassador. Amukamara, who has excelled during his three years in the NFL, will connect with youth participating in sports as an Up2Us Ambassador by sharing experiences from his athletic career, how he has overcome obstacles in order to succeed in sports and life, and the important role that sports and mentorship can have on a child.

"Athletics play a bigger role in an individual's life than one may think. It isn't just about physical health and a fun time," said Amukamara. "It's much more than that. I've met coaches, players, trainers, mentors, and many others who have helped shape who I am as a person today, and I can only hope that through my Ambassadorship with Up2Us, that I can give back and serve as a friendly resource for youth who are finding their way in life."

Up2Us trains and places the nation's best and brightest coach-mentors in cities across the country through its Coach Across America program (CAA). These coaches bring sports-based youth development to many underserved communities and help inspire children to make the right choices in life and believe in themselves. CAA coaches understand that every program session, practice or game is an opportunity to teach a lesson that can impact a child's future.

In 2013, approximately 536 CAA coaches served 53,600 kids. After leaving the program, 86 percent of youth surveyed reported a high competence on a set of skills that contribute to healthy decision-making. Among programs that collect academic data, 96 percent of coaches reported that the youth in their programs improved their grades.

"Prince exemplifies everything we believe in at Up2Us, and we couldn't be more excited and thankful to have him on board as an Up2Us Ambassador," said Paul Caccamo, president and founder of Up2Us. "The generation of youth we work with at Up2Us greatly admires athletes like Prince, and the impact Prince will have on these individuals goes beyond teaching them how to throw or catch a football, but helps teach them the importance of hard work, dedication, perseverance, and to remain hopeful."

To learn more about Up2Us and its programs, visit www.Up2Us.org

About Prince AmukamaraPrince Kelechi Amukamara is an American football cornerback for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected 19th by the New York Giants in the 2011 NFL Draft. He won his first Super Bowl, winning Super Bowl XLVI with the Giants in 2012. He played college football for the University of Nebraska, and earned All-American honors. Amukamara was born in Massachusetts with both parents native to Nigeria. He attended high school in Arizona, where he excelled most notably in track and field. He is also a devout Christian. Sports Illustrated has described Amukamara as being "physical, possessing solid football speed and top ball skills" and gave him a "first round grade."

About Up2Us
Established in 2010, Up2Us (www.up2us.org) is leading a national movement to advance sports as a solution to the critical challenges facing today's youth, including childhood obesity, academic failure, and youth violence. Up2Us accomplishes its mission by uniting more than 1,000 sports programs that provide life skills development to this nation's most vulnerable youth. In 2010, Up2Us launched Coach Across America (CAA) to provide its member organizations with well-trained, highly effective coaches. CAA is a national program that challenges young adults to give back to their communities through a year of service as coach-mentors. To date, Up2Us has placed more than 1,700 CAA coach-mentors nationwide, reaching over 133,650 children. Up2Us is supported by the Laureus USA Foundation in partnership with Mercedes-Benz USA, Nike Inc., the Corporation for National and Community Service, and the U.S. Department of Justice.

A Special Birthday Wish…

All of us celebrate government when it makes smart investments that result in the betterment of all of our lives.  Great examples of this have been the Internet, our GPS systems, micro-chips, and even the vaccines that keep us healthy. In the same vein, I say we celebrate AmeriCorps.

Just think about it. Talented adults are teaching in thousands of schools because of AmeriCorps.  Millions of children are receiving health and nutrition education because of AmeriCorps.  Millions of seniors receive emotional support because of AmeriCorps.  Disaster sites like New Orleans are rebuilt again because of AmeriCorps.  And now, sports is being revived in inner cities because of AmeriCorps.

This week, we celebrate the 20th anniversary of AmeriCorps: one of our federal government's major success stories.   We need to recognize that AmeriCorps has often provided the seed money to “great ideas” that we have since taken for granted as they have become the fabric of our American lives.

My own program, Up2Us, was based on a simple idea: a coach can be the most transformative adult in a child’s life, especially children who are in underserved communities and lack adult role models. AmeriCorps provided me the opportunity to hire and train my first coaches in 2009.  Since then, thanks to public-private partnerships, I’ve hired more than 1,700 coaches who have committed themselves to serving more than 133,650 at-risk youth in more than 60 different sports.  This simple idea has had powerful results: our trained coaches can reduce violence by up to 40% in urban communities.  Our trained coaches can lead to significant increases in physical activity that reduces the risk of obesity.  And, our trained coaches have helped youth in the worst performing schools to refocus their energy into educational pathways that lead to college and successful careers.  And now, thanks to AmeriCorps, my program is ready to take the innovative training we have developed for our coaches and make it available to the estimated 6.5 million volunteer coaches who want to be more effective at teaching life skills to their teams.

Up2Us is just one example of the power of AmeriCorps has to light a spark that impacts a nation.

Happy 20th Anniversary, AmeriCorps.  When I Google “national service" on the the internet, I will smile broadly at how many of the 52 million results were made possible by you!   And, I’ll smile also knowing that Google was made possible by our federal government, too.

Paul Caccamo

Executive Director and Founder, Up2Us

NY Jets Donate Bikes to Up2Us Members

On Thursday, August 7, 25 New York City area youth, from Up2Us members I Challenge Myself, Shred Love and Street Squash Newark, received new bicycles and helmets from Barnum Financial Group, an office of MetLife and the Foundation for Life as part of Barnum’s “Bikes for Kids.”  The presentation occurred at MetLife Stadium, prior to the New York Jets vs. Indianapolis Colts preseason game.  Following the presentation, the Jets treated the youth and invited guests to tickets to the football game.Click here to see television coverage from SNY.

Up2Us Ambassador John Henson Hosts Basketball Clinic Fundraiser

On July 19, Up2Us Ambassador and Tampa native John Henson, a power forward with the Milwaukee Bucks, and a team of Coach Across America (CAA) coaches hosted "The John Henson Experience" at the Tampa Bay Youth Sports Expo. The one-day basketball clinic helped to raise awareness on the importance of youth sports and funds to support the placement of additional CAA coaches in the Tampa Bay area.  About 100 local youth participated in the clinic. Up2Us member The Skills Center hosted the Tampa Bay Youth Sports Expo at the Tampa Convention Center.  The Expo featured a multitude of interactive sports activities for kids, including hockey, golf, football, lacrosse, baseball, dance, and basketball.

Donate to Bring Coaches to Tampa!

Up2Us Ambassador and Tampa native John Henson of the Milwaukee Bucks, along with a team of coaches from Up2Us’ Coach Across America program, will conduct The John Henson Experience—a one-day basketball clinic at the Tampa Bay Youth Sports Expo on Saturday, July 19th.  The clinic will bring awareness to the importance of youth sports programs and raise funds to place Coach Across America coaches in the Tampa Bay area.

100% of proceeds raised from The John Henson Experience will go towards the cost of training and providing Coach Across America jobs to young adults in the Tampa community at The Skills Center—a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization sharing John’s vision of providing academic instruction and life skill development through sports.  With your help, we hope to reach our fundraising goal of $30,000, which covers the cost of one full year of programming by two coach-mentors who are trained in youth development, mentoring, and violence prevention strategies.  Corporate sponsorship opportunities are also available for socially-responsible businesses, please contact margote@up2us.org for more information.

By donating, you are directly contributing to positive social change in some of Tampa's most under-served communities.  Thank you for your support!

Click here to support.

Ride This Way: an Up2Us Film

Greatness often manifests in the face of adversity. Israel Frank, Up2Us Coach Across America (CAA) coach at Brotherhood Crusade Soccer for Success Program, is a true testament to this statement.

Initially, Israel's goals were to obtain his GED, secure employment, and change his life trajectory. With the assistance of his case manager, Israel attended work readiness classes at the YouthSource Center. After demonstrating significant mastery of vocational skills, Israel secured a seasonal job at Vans. Combined with a sincere desire to improve the quality of life for young people, this experience prepared Israel for his CAA appointment.

Check out our video to hear Israel's story and to learn just what makes him Up2Us' Coach Across America Coach of the Year.

Second Annual Up2Us Gala

The Second Annual Up2Us Gala was a great success, bringing together more than 300 guests including Hollywood celebrities Heidi Klum, Gretchen Mol, Jonny Lee Miller and Kyle MacLachlan who mingled alongside sports figures such as New York Giants cornerback, Prince Amukamara, Milwaukee Bucks power forward, John Henson and U.S. Olympians Kim Vandenberg and Sarah Hughes. More than 300 guests joined the celebration while raising more than $470,000 to help advance sports as a solution to the critical challenges facing America’s youth – obesity, violence and academic failure. College basketball analyst Bill Raftery emceed the star-studded event, joined by Pro Football Hall of Famer, Curtis Martin who presented the Up2Us Legacy Award to Commissioner Tagliabue. Jay Agresta, President of Benzel-Busch Motor Car Corp, presented the second Up2Us Legacy Award of the evening to Stephen Cannon. The program included a powerful video highlighting the struggle and success of Up2Us’ Coach Across America (CAA) coach Israel Frank. The crowd rose to their feet after the Coach of the Year winner’s moving speech, “Through my training at Coach Across America, I’ve learned to separate the child from the behavior. The kid isn’t bad, he’s just made bad choices,” Coach Israel explained. He added, “I see kids going in the wrong direction like I was, and Up2Us has given me an opportunity to show them the right way. Like the other CAA coaches, I’m someone the kids can relate to and I think that’s what makes Up2Us’ Coach Across America program so effective.”

“Coach Israel’s story is a testament to the power of sports and the important role mentors can play in the lives of young people, especially kids living in underserved communities,” said Paul Caccamo, founder and president of Up2Us. “The support we have received from our friends in the business, entertainment and sports community has been incredible and encouraging. Every day, news reports remind us of the urgent need to advance the SBYD movement and place more coaches like Israel Frank to serve our nation’s most vulnerable youth. We can create real social change through sports and positively impact the lives of millions of children across the country."

Take a look at some of the photos below!

Chicago Service Day

On May 3rd, Up2Us teamed up  with the Chicago Park District, the Chicago Housing Authority and the White Sox Volunteer Corps for a community wellness day at Wentworth Gardens. The day was designed to encourage health, wellness and fitness, and included multiple stations designed and activated by our Chicago coaching corp.

The Chicago White Sox not only sent awesome volunteers to help with registration and food service for the day but South Paw, the team mascot, joined to take pictures and toss some pitches at the baseball station.  Every person that attended the event and participated in different stations also received a complimentary voucher to an upcoming White Sox game.  We had nearly 300 participants throughout the event day and were able to spread health and wellness and make some incredible new partners.

A special thanks to Alderman Pat Dowell, The Athena Dental Group, Progressive Baptist Church, UIC-Chicago Partnership for Health Promotion, UIC-YWLCS Health & Wellness Center, E&ES (a partner of the Chicago Housing Authority), and Beggars Pizza who were all important partners in making the day a success.

"The Up2Us Field Day is a great example of how neighbors and community based organizations can work together to create safe and healthy spaces for everyone to enjoy.  I am pleased to be a part of this event because it celebrates the wonderful families that make up this community,” said Alderman Pat Dowell.

Operation Coach Sponsored By the Miami HEAT

Up2Us is proud to announce a partnership with the Miami HEAT and the Miami HEAT Charitable Fund to launch Operation Coach, a workforce assistance and coaching initiative for post 9/11 returning military veterans, preparing them for a career in sports and youth development through our Coach Across America program. During half time of Tuesday’s Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Miami HEAT Charitable Fund presented Up2Us with a $100,000 donation as the result of the team’s annual fundraising efforts.   This contribution will provide veterans with the opportunity to gain employment as coach-mentors and continue to serve as every day heroes to thousands of youth in Miami.

“Veterans often cite ‘physical activity’ and ‘becoming a coach’ as key motivators to their reentry to the workforce,” said Paul Caccamo, founder and president of Up2Us.

The Miami HEAT has a tradition of honoring the brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces and we are extremely excited to continue this partnership.

What We Can Learn From Recycling

I had the opportunity to eat lunch at a high-end professional office building in NYC the other day.  The cafeteria was in the main lobby, and I arrived at the peak hour, so I settled on the last available table in a corner that also happened to be right near the garbage receptacles.   Oddly enough, as I devoured my subsidized gourmet platter of food, I couldn’t help but stare at the trashcans, one of which was blue, one green and the other a nondescript grey.  What I observed has stayed with me ever since.

Every few moments, a different group of executives would arrive with their trays of emptied bottles, plates, napkins and other refuse.   In most cases, they were all conversing as they approached the bins and slowed almost routinely to discard the tray’s contents.   That’s when I observed a pattern that I never expected: when the person leading any given group paused long enough to separate glass and paper into the appropriate containers, the others that followed almost unthinkingly did the same.  But when the person leading the group dumped all their contents at once into the grey container, the persons that followed DID THE SAME.  Almost without exception, everyone followed the leader.

Now, let’s be clear.  These were presumably, well-educated lawyers, financial managers, business leaders, etc. If you stopped any of them, they most certainly would acknowledge that recycling is good for the environment. Some might even know that recycling is the law in New York City.  Yet, everyone just followed the leader whether that leader recycled or not.  It’s that easy to make a poor decision.  Even when you have all the education, all the resources and all the knowledge not to.

I remained at my table in that cafeteria but this time I was no longer watching the bins.  I was thinking of the millions of kids living in poverty who also follow the leaders. These leaders make it easy to join a gang, become a teen mom, be a bully or just drop out of school. It can be hard for professional adults to separate their garbage, can you imagine how difficult it must be for a child to resist these kind of negative role models when they are surrounded by them and when no one else is there to set a different example?

This is why Coach Across America is so important.  We have allowed too many youth in this nation’s communities to be leaderless.  The result is the failing schools, the crime, and the bullying that have become far too common imagery on our nightly news.

It’s time to get serious and invest in a workforce of coaches to lead youth to make the “right” decisions.  For all children, a coach is someone they can look up to and trust.  A coach is a role model who can guide their decision-making.  A trained coach helps them to see beyond the easy choices to make the right choices.

Every child deserves a coach.  And by investing in one, maybe one day, every child will grow up to be the professional in that office building who approaches those garbage cans and knows exactly what to do.

Paul Caccamo President & Founder