COMMUNITY PROFILE NATIONAL STORY COMMUNITY PROFILE Coleman knows the benefits of playing sports besides just the physical aspect. There is peer-to-peer relationship building, mentorship with coaches, and mental health aspects. “A lot of our kids are suffering from depression, anxiety, stress, and loneliness. Kids are committing suicide. I don’t want to be negative, but that’s just a reality,” said Coleman. “Sports have so many benefits; the biggest is safety. I always say, ‘When I know where a kid is, I know where a kid is not.’ When I see these kids out here, I know they’re not doing something else they should not be doing. These are tangible benefits that you may not learn unless you’re playing a sport.” According to the United Nations, Transforming our TWO ATHLETES NEAR THE FINISH LINE DURING TRACK PRACTICE. | CREDIT: ADRIAN MICHAEL is it’s an immediate impact. The work I do in public office is very important. I get to see this and help implement something with my own hands, and that’s also another reason why I love doing this,” said Coleman. Being the second youngest legislator in the Senate and having been in office for eight years — four years in the House, four years in the Senate — Coleman is often asked, “How can you do the legislative work and do this, too?” Coleman’s answer: “I have no choice. I have an obligation to pay it forward and pay it back to the people who raised us, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to support our community. T]he vision of Chance Sports is to help one kid at a time and be able to have an opportunity that [kids] otherwise wouldn’t have,” said Coleman. “We know [our program is] working by seeing high school students who received our scholarships continue their athletic careers in college. We started in 2022; we gave our first scholarships in February 2023, and in that short amount of time, we’re already seeing it work. I think that helps meet the vision of these kids to go on to the next level.” According to data from the Healthy Sports Index, high school athletes are more likely to graduate from a four-year college (73% girls, 59% boys) compared to non-athletes (67% girls, 53% boys). A higher percentage of high school athletes also receive A/A- grades than non-athletes. World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, sports often provide safe environments at the grassroots and community levels, where participants are brought together in pursuit of common goals and interests; learn values of respect, tolerance, and fair play; and develop social competencies. Coleman said that Chance Sports has seen a lot of engagement from the community, and many people have reached out and provided the organization with support from individuals, donors, and former athletes. But according to Coleman, the biggest benefit is from within — being able to give back and seeing opportunities for his kids. “My son has a team to play on; my daughter has a family outside of her [own] family that she gets to come and compete with. The more kids we have to be able to play, the more that benefits us.” The long-term goal for Chance Sports is growth. “We’re going global,” Coleman said jokingly. “We have an opportunity to potentially scale to Eastern Michigan next year and potentially scale to Ohio and Tennessee. We have so many opportunities to help more and more kids. I want to make sure that we can sustain and make sure the program is consistent. If you’re a family in need of a scholarship, if you’re a club that wants to partner with us and help more kids play your sport in your club, if you’re a funder or a donor that wants to invest and help more kids afford to play, or if you just want to learn more information to get involved and be an advocate, check us out at Chancesports.org.” Need to get rid of your car, truck, or motorcycle? Consider donating it to Denver VOICE. Call (855) 500-7433, or go to: careasy.org/nonprofi t/denver-voice. Your donation helps Denver VOICE succeed in its mission to provide individuals experiencing homelessness or poverty the chance towards a more stable life. The Denver VOICE empowers homeless, impoverished, and transient individuals by creating job opportunities through our vendor program. We facilitate a dialogue addressing the roots of homelessness by telling stories of people whose lives are impacted by poverty and homelessness and to offer economic, educational, and empowerment opportunities for the impoverished community. DONATE YOUR CAR! VOLUNTEER WITH US! We are looking for volunteers to help us at community events, or to assist with paper distribution and basic offi ce administration at our offi ce (989 Santa Fe. Dr.). If you are interested and would like to know more, contact us at program@denvervoice.org. YOUNG CHILDREN ATHLETES TAKE OFF FROM THE STARTING LINE DURING TRACK PRACTICE. | CREDIT: ADRIAN MICHAEL December 2024 DENVER VOICE 9
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