We work hand-in-hand with programs all over the country, so our team travels a lot. In just the fall alone, we had folks in Texas, Illinois, Georgia and even Colorado. However, it’s a special treat when we get to spend time with organizations that have roots in our home city of Boston.

Recently, our partner at Empower Retirement of New England sponsored a major donation to the kids of Boston. New play and sports equipment equating to $151,000 was spread throughout Boston Public Schools, Boston Centers for Youths & Families (BCYF), Lawrence High School and the Boston Police Athletic League. Over 97,000 kids will be positively impacted by all that gear!

Our teammate Aaron Johnson, Partnerships Assistant, was the one who ended up coordinating both the donations and the volunteer opportunity between all the partners involved. “It has been a fantastic experience working with Empower Retirement once again to make such a tremendous impact here in our backyard,” he said. “It’s not every day that we get to see our partnership’s impact come to life like this.”

To commemorate this awesome Empower donation, we hosted a Pick Pack & Play day at the Nazzaro Community Center in The North End, Boston’s oldest residential neighborhood. Volunteers from Empower Retirement helped us put together kits of athletic gear for every group and then – of course – we all got to play with the kids. Even New England Patriots’ alumni Matt Chatham and Ronnie Lippett popped in for a quick huddle!

“Our most recent donation from Good Sports will allow several Boston Youth Sports Leagues to provide necessary equipment to participants at no cost,” said Brain Woods, Executive Director of Boston Police Activities. “This will decrease the financial burden for low income families.”

Nonprofits that grow to be national know success comes from taking care of their home first. The immediate community should always be looked at as the inspiration for the organization. For anyone who ever started a nonprofit, they did it because they were moved by the need in their own backyard. Honoring local programs and groups is an echo of that recognition.

“Our thanks to Good Sports and Empower Retirement for their ongoing support of Boston’s young people,” said Will Morales, Commissioner of Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF.) “This generous donation of sporting equipment will provide North End youth with all they need to learn and participate in a variety of sports for years to come.”

Now that Good Sports is officially in its 15^th year of getting kids onto the field and playing, we like to think we’ve made some leaps and bounds. We started off making donations to programs throughout Boston, and eventually around New England. Who knew we’d be able to touch ever single state? Still, there’s something extra special about being able to see the impact of our mission in our own town.