Sports4Kids was founded in 1996 in Oakland, California. Sports4Kids promotes play as a strategy for youth development. Over the past decade, Sports4Kids has grown from two schools to 131; from a staff of one to 187 full-time employees; and from programs reaching a couple hundred kids to over 50,000 kids daily. Sports4Kids creates a safer and more active playground that improves the quality of the learning environment, and brings communities together in support of the children who live there.

Now in its twelfth year of programming, Sports4Kids currently reaches 50,000 students in 131 schools in the Bay Area, Baltimore, MD, Boston, MA, and Washington, DC.

It is a fundamental belief at Sports4Kids that every child deserves the opportunity to play safely and enjoy being physically active. The playground should be a place that improves children's opportunities to learn and grow rather then a hinderance to it. Students who are able to play in a fun and organized environment return to the classroom focused and ready to learn. Sports4Kids is commited to bringing this opportunity to every child at every school we serve.

Our mission is to improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

Sports4Kids has made a commitment to offer programming in public schools with concentrated populations of low-income students. We are primarily working with elementary schools, but in recent years we have developed a strong curriculum for middle school students as well. The schools we serve are some of the neediest in their respective regions, each having at least 50% of students qualifying for federal guidelines for free or reduced lunch, a proxy for low income status. These schools are typically under-resourced and their students are particularly vulnerable to poor health outcomes, exacerbated by the lack of safe places to play. Over 80% of students at the schools are eligible for free- or reduced-lunch and across the schools, over 90% of the students are minorities. By delivering our program at the very location where these students spend 6-7 hours each day, year after year, Sports4Kids is able to maximize its impact on our target population.

Sports4Kids’ program includes five components that are implemented at each school on a daily basis from September to June:
• Recess/Lunch: Site Coordinators teach and lead games during recess on a daily basis. This includes establishing game areas on the playground, distributing balls and sports equipment, teaching the rules and strategies to games, resolving conflicts, and encouraging children to participate.
• Class Game Time: Site Coordinators establish a weekly schedule of 30-45 minute time slots for classes. Each teacher brings their class to the playground or gym where the Site Coordinator delivers a structured, play-based curriculum based on youth development principles.
• After School Program: Site Coordinators provide homework support, a healthy snack and physical activities for 9- to 13-year-olds who attend on a daily basis.
• Interscholastic Leagues: Site Coordinators work with volunteer coaches to coach teams during practice and games with other Sports4Kids’ schools. The teams are open to 9- to 13-year-old students and emphasize learning basic sports skills, teamwork, and healthy competition.
• Junior Coaches: Site Coordinators work with teachers to identify 9- to 13-year-olds to participate in leadership development activities throughout the year. After receiving training, Junior Coaches assist Site Coordinators during recess by leading games, encouraging students to resolve conflicts positively and managing equipment. This core function of our model is the focus of this proposal.

Taken as a whole, these five components of the Sports4Kids program have a significant impact on improving school climate and creating an environment in which students feel included, safe and able to play.

Sports4Kids’ Corporate Kickball Tournaments

Each spring, Sports4Kids coordinates a Corporate Kickball Tournament with corporations entering teams of 10-12 employees to compete for the Championship Cup. This afternoon event is a great way to bring employees together for a fun, slightly competitive and seriously silly reminder of the importance of play. This year we will be holding tournaments in the San Francisco Bay Area, Boston, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Past winners include DPR Construction, Hanson Bridgett LLP, and 24 Hour Fitness.

Leadership Team
Bernadette Chi, Director of Evaluation, holds a doctorate in education and brings over 15 years of
experience and leadership in youth serving organizations. Prior to joining Sports4Kids, Bernadette worked with
the California Department of Education and the East Bay Conservation Corps and has evaluated numerous
state and local civic education and service-learning programs.
Elizabeth Cushing, Director of Communications and Foundation Relations, brings 15 years of non-profit
management experience with organizations focused on youth development, children’s advocacy and women’s
issues to Sports4Kids. Elizabeth is responsible for managing major foundation relationships, leading the
development and implementation of the organization's communications strategy, and contributing to
expansion strategy. Elizabeth is a product of Oregon public schools.
Eunice Dunham, Boston Director, moved to Boston to launch Sports4Kids’ program there after four years
on the staff in California. Eunice is responsible for establishing programs in seven Boston schools in 2006-07
including all program planning, implementation, staff development, and community outreach.
David Gallagher, Director of Training and Community Partnerships, started with Sports4Kids as a Site
Coordinator. David quickly developed expertise as a trainer for staff and teachers and was subsequently tapped
to build the organization’s Community Training Project. David is now responsible for providing training to
educators and others interested in our approach and for building partnerships in expansion cities.
David Gilmore, Baltimore Director, returns to Sports4Kids after a year spent working as a public school
teacher in New York City. David leads the Baltimore team including programs in 18 local schools and the
expansion of the regional base of corporate, individual and foundation support.
Odiaka Gonzalez, Bay Area Program Director, is originally from Atlanta, GA. Odiaka was a Site
Coordinator for two years, a charter school coordinator for one year, and an Area Director for two years, before
becoming a Program Director. Odiaka enjoys not only teaching children about the power of play but also
working with adults, including teachers, principals and site coordinators.
Jennifer Hiller, Director of Human Resources, brings over a decade of Human Resources expertise to
Sports4Kids. She is most proud of her career work in the non-profit arena, including recent work at an
international non-profit building systems and infrastructure to support a rapid scaling. She believes in S4K’s
entrepreneurial model to create lasting, systemic change and is most excited about working with passionate
colleagues who are aligning their careers with their values!
Paul McAndrew, Northeast Regional Director, joined Sports4Kids in 1999 as a Site Coordinator. After four
years of supporting and managing program staff in California, Paul opened the first expansion program in
Baltimore in September 2005. Paul is now responsible for all Northeast programs including 55 staff and 41
schools in Baltimore, Boston and Washington DC.
www.sports4kids.

Bet Muth, Interim Chief Financial Officer, holds an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley.
Formerly the Director of Finance and Operations for Children Now, Bet has a strong background in project
management and internal control systems for complex, growing organizations.
Phuoc Nguyen, Silicon Valley Director, has been with Sports4Kids since 2002. He grew up in the South Bay
and worked at a number of South Bay school sites and local government programs before coming to
Sports4Kids. Phuoc is responsible for building and managing a team that will deliver consistently high program
quality and attract community support to ensure the long-term sustainability of Sports4Kids.
Maya Novak, Bay Area Program Director, spent two years as a Site Coordinator at Whittier Elementary
School in Oakland before leaving the sunshine and heading into the office. Maya is always impressed and
amazed by the level of dedication of the Sports4Kids staff, as well as their capacity to turn almost anything into
a game.
Argyre Patras, IT/Facilities Manager, was an IT Manager in the biotech world, and an IT consultant and
multimedia producer for many years, working with both corporations and non-profits. At various times a
soccer player, squash fanatic, ski racer, climber, backpacker, and Ultimate Frisbee nut, he is thrilled to help
Sports4Kids get more kids actively involved in physical activity.
Christopher Rehling, Washington DC Director, comes to Sports4Kids from the Close Up Foundation
where he worked in civic education with high school and middle school students for ten years. Christopher is
responsible for leading the Washington DC program including overseeing operations in nine schools and
developing new resources and partnerships to support the program.
Susan Rothstein, Interim Executive Director, has 25 years of management experience in both the nonprofit
and for-profit sectors. Her focus has been on organizations in transition and/or with significant growth
potential. She recently served as Interim ED for a museum, an education-focused organization, and a business
incubator. Susan holds an MBA from Stanford University and serves on the boards of several Bay-area
nonprofits.
Jill Vialet, President & Founder, has worked for more than 20 years in the non-profit sector, during which
she focused her entrepreneurial skills on conceiving of and growing two successful non-profit organizations,
Sports4Kids and MOCHA (Museum of Children’s Art in Oakland). Jill graduated from a public high school in
Chevy Chase, Maryland.
Tracy Williamson, Director of Government Programs, began working with children in a therapeutic
program for infants and toddlers. After receiving her JD at Northeastern University, she went on to work on
public policy research studies, and most recently spent 6 years as a contracts attorney in the private sector.

V. Toni Adams
Director, Student Programs and Services
Alameda County Office of Education
313 W. Winton Ave.
Hayward, CA 94544
510.670.7747
(510) 670-3747 fax
(510) 750-2526 cell
vtoni@acoe.org

Dru DeSantis
Principal
DeSantis Breindel
950 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10022
212.994.7680
desantis@desantisbreindel.com

Janet King
Senior Scientist and Director of the Childhood Obesity Program
Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute
5700 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way
Oakland, CA 94609
510.450.7939
jking@chori.org

Van Le
Sports Philanthropy Project
Senior Project Director and Counsel
3 Winthrop Place
Quincy, MA 02169
vple@sportsphilanthropy.com
Wayne Meisel
President
Corella and Bertram F. Bonner Foundation
10 Mercer Street
Princeton, NJ 08540
wmeisel@bonner.org
609.924.6663

Roger Mendelson
Psychiatrist
6409 Regent St.
Oakland, CA 94618
510.531.9394
rbmendel@aol.com

Mark Seiler
Metrovation
520 Third Street
Oakland, CA 94607
415.538.7011
mlseiler@aol.com

Mark Smith, Secretary
Delivery Agent
415-248-5768
msmith@deliveryagent.com

Robert Wood Johnson, Lucille Packard, All Stars Helping Kids, AmeriCorps, Schools,

Sports4Kids is the only national organization that promotes recess as critical for children’s health and well-being. Too often recess is treated as a break from learning, rather than an opportunity to continue it. Recess and lunchtime tend to be the most concentrated periods for conflict and discipline problems during the school day, and this playtime is often seen as one of the greatest detractors from the learning environment. By offering a play-based curriculum and a full-time Site Coordinator, well-trained in group management skills, Sports4Kids is able to provide a service that has an immediate and direct impact on the patterns of behavior on a schoolyard including increasing participation in physical activities and decreasing conflicts and fights. Bringing back play as a critical part of the school day provides support for children’s social, emotional, cognitive and physical development.

To the best of our knowledge, there aren’t other organizations that provides full day programming including the recess and after school hours that focus on providing students with more opportunities to be physically active through play.

• Provide 50,000 students with a high quality experience of play and physical activity on a daily basis throughout the school year.
• Identify two new cities for program expansion in September of 2008.
• Secure commitment from 30 new schools in existing for the fall of 2008.
• Establish ten new corporate partnerships to support school-based programs across the country.

• This fall Sports4Kids partnered with the Cartoon Network to call for nationwide support for recess. The goal of Cartoon Network’s “Rescuing Recess” campaign is to log one million volunteer hours from adults looking to get involved at their local schools to make recess a positive, active and fun part of the school day. As experts in play, Sports4Kids was tapped to make a training video for adults to use as a resource.

On September 24th, the Cartoon Network officially launched the campaign in Washington D.C. Sports4Kids is proud to be a part of a national call to action on behalf of safe and active recess for all children.

• Sports4Kids was recently the recipient of a $100,000 grant from the All Stars Helping Kids Foundation. The grant was awarded at the closing bell of the NASDAQ stock exchange by Ronnie Lott, Marcus Allen, and Marlon Evans.

• Sports4Kids has been the subject of two major publications. In an April 2007 edition of Education Week Sports4Kids was applauded for its contributions to the Baltimore school community, specifically with regards to our impact on reducing the suspension rate. More recently, in September of 2007 the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation released a report “Recess Rules: Why the undervalued playtime may be America’s best investment for healthy kids and healthy schools” that highlights Sports4Kids effectiveness in contributing to the overall health of kids and schools.

• To date, feedback from schools, students and parents has been overwhelmingly, indicating that Sports4Kids is succeeding in impacting children, schools and the community. Based on surveys collected from 25 elementary schools in the Fall of 2006, here is a brief snapshot of our success:
• 76% of students, 68% of parents and over 70% of school personnel reported that the program increased students’ ease and likelihood of completing their schoolwork.
• Over 90% of school staff reported seeing an increase in the involvement of families and students at the school and 83% reported an increase in student and family’s participation within the community.
• 78% of students reported that the program helped improve their relationships with their fellow classmates.
• 72% of students reported that Sports4Kids’ program made them want to attend school more.
• 85% of students said the program made them “feel good about themselves” and 69% of parents reported that the program increased their child's self-confidence.