Women's Sports Foundation

https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/

Mission: The Women’s Sports Foundation is a powerful voice and catalyst for ensuring that all girls have equal access to sports and physical activity and the benefits they provide.

History: The Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF) is the leading authority and “go-to resource” promoting gender equality through sport. Founded in 1974 by tennis legend and social justice icon Billie Jean King, the WSF advances the lives of girls and women by creating opportunity and lasting social change. 

WSF’s work is recognized for its impact in the gender equity and sport spaces, however the ripple effect of our work is far reaching. Participation in physical activity and sport, particularly for girls and women, is transformative at all levels – from the first grader in dance class to the sixth grader on the basketball court to collegiate and elite athletes. Participation in all forms has life-changing implications including: improved health, self-confidence, perseverance, greater academic success and life-long leadership skills. 

Individuals/Target:  WSF is committed to serving the most vulnerable girls for whom there are glaring disparities in access and opportunity. This includes girls of color, the LGBTQ community, low-income youth and those with disabilities.

Specifically, the foundation is funding the Athlete Ambassador Program which is a mentoring program between WSF elite athletes and our community/regional partners that we support with funding, technical assistance and educational curriculum. Athlete Ambassadors are matched with these girl-serving organizations closest to their hometowns so they can make a difference in their local communities.  During the year, athlete ambassadors will make in-person and virtual visits to connect with girls and inspire them to continue playing sports, believe in themselves, dream big and grow to become leaders. The key components of the in-person visits include a brief motivational talk along with Q&A, sports clinic and, in some cases, grant check presentations.
 

New York Common Pantry

http://nycommonpantry.org/

New York Common Pantry works toward the reduction of hunger and food insecurity through an array of programs that function to establish long-term independence for those we serve. Our whole-person approach starts with food provision through the distribution of nutritious, fresh food pantry packages in Choice Pantry and hearty balanced breakfast and dinner in the Hot Meals program. Supplemental food is provided to seniors aged 60 and older through Nourish. We then go further to address the reasons for food insecurity with case management services through the help of Help 365, which assists Pantry visitors in gaining access to resources, and Project Dignity, which connects homeless visitors to resources. The third vital element in our whole-person approach is education offered through our Live Healthy! program. Live Healthy! teaches children and adults about the importance of a nutritionally sound diet and active living, as well as provides them with the skills necessary to make healthier choices for their families.

New York Common Pantry is one of New York City’s largest single-site community based food pantries. Since opening in 1980 as a small neighborhood pantry serving 30 families, what was originally called Yorkville Common Pantry has grown into New York City’s most innovative emergency food provider offering meals and support services to nearly 400,000 individuals. Now known as New York Common Pantry, we have undertaken a multitude of new initiatives that help make a difference in the lives of our clients. While the programs have expanded and changed over the past 30 years, our mission to reduce hunger and promote dignity and self-sufficiency has remained constant. In addition, the Common Pantry’s commitment to innovation and collaboration in order to better serve the community’s needs has defined its unique standing among other food programs in New York City.

Community-Word Project

http://communitywordproject.org/

Community-Word Project is a New York City based 501(c)(3) arts-in-education organization that inspires children in underserved communities to read, interpret and respond to their world and to become active citizens through collaborative arts residencies and teacher training programs.

Community-Word Project establishes Collaborative Arts Residencies in New York City Title I schools, after-schools, and public libraries to bring professional writers and artists to underserved classrooms and provide kids with a unique and stimulating arts-integrated curriculum. Our Teaching Artists work alongside classroom teachers and after-school leaders to integrate creative and critical thinking skills through the arts.

CWP offers multi-disciplinary arts curriculum, often delivering the only educational exposure these children have to creative writing, art, music, and movement. In accessing alternative learning channels, kids discover their personal passion, strengthen their voices, and engage in learning.

Poetry and creative writing are central to our program, but our pedagogy is interdisciplinary to access various learning styles and expose students to a variety of artforms. Students write poems both individually and collectively while exploring music, dance and visual media as outlets of creative expression. Our aim is to teach the whole child, to help them discover their unique voices, to unleash their passion to be heard, and to be respected leaders among peers and the community.

I, Too Arts Collective

http://www.itooarts.com/

I, Too Arts Collective is a non-profit organization committed to nurturing voices from underrepresented communities in the creative arts.

In July 2016, we launched a campaign to lease the Harlem brownstone where Langston Hughes lived and created during the last twenty years of his life.

Our hope is to preserve Langston’s legacy and build on it by providing programming for emerging writers. We signed the lease in October 2016 and will run our programs out of the brownstone which is located at 20 East 127th Street. 

Special Olympics New York

http://specialolympics-ny.org/

Sports

Special Olympics New York offers year-round training and competition in 22 Olympic-style sports. Training clubs can be found in schools, service agencies and community recreation centers throughout the state.

Success in sports leads to success in life. Athletes build athletic skills and character traits that help them both on and off the field. Special Olympics offers athletes the opportunity to showcase their talents and to change the negatives stereotypes and misconceptions about people with intellectual abilities.

Competition

Special Olympics New York athletes participate in more than 200 competitions at local, regional, super regional, state, national and world levels. Competitions provide athletes with meaningful opportunities to test their sports skills and measure progress. They also provide an environment in which athletes are challenged and their achievements celebrated.Individuals with profound disabilities may participate in the Special Olympics Motor Activities Training Program (MATP), which emphasizes training and participation rather than competition.

Healthy Communities

Healthy Athletes Header Special Olympics Builds Healthy and Inclusive Communities.  We continuously work to strengthen the training and competitive experience of each Special Olympics athlete by promoting inclusive and healthy communities that create an environment of dignity and support the athlete’s health, fitness, and quality of life.  We believe people with intellectual disabilities deserve full access to quality healthcare.  We are creating a culture of inclusion and acceptance that will dramatically impact the health of our athletes and others intellectual disabilities.

Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières

http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is a private, international association. The association is made up mainly of doctors and health sector workers and is also open to all other professions which might help in achieving its aims. All of its members agree to honor the following principles:

MSF provides assistance to populations in distress, to victims of natural or man-made disasters, and to victims of armed conflict. They do so irrespective of race, religion, creed, or political convictions.

MSF observes neutrality and impartiality in the name of universal medical ethics and the right to humanitarian assistance and claims full and unhindered freedom in the exercise of its functions.

Members undertake to respect their professional code of ethics and maintain complete independence from all political, economic, or religious powers.

As volunteers, members understand the risks and dangers of the missions they carry out and make no claim for themselves or their assigns for any form of compensation other than that which the association might be able to afford them.