The Volo City Kids Foundation provides free sports leagues for children in Baltimore, Denver, New York, San Francisco, and Washington DC. Each community hosts multiple sports, including flag football, sailing, soccer, volleyball and basketball. With multiple sports per season, a child can experience a variety of sports with different teammates within the community. The program provides 75 minutes of play per week during each season followed by free food and drink donated by local businesses within the community.
The mission of the Volo City Kids Foundation is to connect communities through free access to youth sports in a fun, structured environment. The program removes barriers to athletic participation such as gender, skill, and financial resources while emphasizing team play by including volunteers from the surrounding communities and by providing post-game social events for players, parents and volunteers.
A 2017 Heery International Foundation Grant recipient, Volo City Kids will use the donation to fund a basketball league in the Baltimore area. CBRE | Heery Construction Manager Jeffery Smith presented the grant to the Volo City Kids Baltimore community at the UA House at Fayette during a winter event, where over 30 kids ages 2-12 participated in basketball drills with instructors followed by lunch.
“Being involved with Volo City for a while now, I have crossed paths with many of the foundation’s personnel and supporters, and learned of all the great things that they were doing," Smith said. “So, when I was given a chance to nominate them for an annual HIF grant I didn’t hesitate, as I have first-hand knowledge of the impact they had on the kids in the Baltimore area.”
Smith is an active participant of Volo City, the parent organization of the Volo City Kids Foundation. Volo City aspires to change the world of social interaction through sports, enabling communities to pursue fit and healthy lives. By providing adult rec leagues, the program brings people of diverse backgrounds together around a common love of sport. Carrying the motto “We Play so Kids Play For Free”, Volo City’s adult program costs go toward the Volo City Kids Foundation where kids of all genders, abilities, and races to play sports at zero cost to their families. Volo City also partners with local organizations to provide free meals for young players after games. Supported by volunteers, donations, and sponsorships, the foundation has enabled over 800 Baltimore kids to play for free in 2016 alone.