Backyard Sports Cares is passionate about developing youth not just as athletes, but as confident, well rounded and socially conscious people. In partnership with one of our most passionate community partners, Max Pearce, Backyard Sports Cares hosted a celebration of the “Art of an Athlete” collection at Eastchester Community Action Partnership (ECAP) in Max’s hometown of Tuckahoe, NY. Max is a Harlem Globetrotter, artist and activist who created the Art of an Athlete collection to celebrate athletes around the world who embrace their ability to be more than an athlete.
On Wednesday, April 12th, more than 50 community partners including Tuckahoe Mayor, Omayra Andino, US Congressman Jamaal Bowman and Yonkers Arts CEO Ray Wilcox came out to celebrate our mission to encourage athletes of all ages to explore and embrace their passions beyond the court or playing field. Following our event, we are excited to announce our pilot for a six week “More than an Athlete” program with six local partner schools beginning fall of 2023.
In addition to our weekly instructional sports programs, this pilot will engage six high school varsity teams for a four week art program through which teams will work with local artists, contributing to a large collaborative art piece that will be hung at the Yonkers Arts Gallery at the conclusion of the program. This program not only serves as a great way to build comradery among coaches and teammates during their pre-season, but also encourages athletes to explore other interests and express themselves confidently as emerging leaders.
We are thankful for our dynamic community partners who encourage us as coaches and community leaders to continue to find unique and meaningful ways to develop youth of all abilities and backgrounds through our shared love of sports.
