It’s time for a new year, and if you thought the holiday season we just went through ended the season of giving, think again. Despite high-flying Dow Jones numbers and the lowest unemployment in more than 20 years, times are tough and nowhere are things tougher than in the world of charitable gift-giving.
This is despite some absolutely massive amounts of money donated each and every year in the United States. But when you look around, your email, your snail mail and media messages are always urging you to give to this or that cause. There quite simply is no end to the needs of our friends and neighbors. It can be material things such food, housing, furniture or clothing. And then there are more physical, emotional or psychic needs — ways to combat mental illness, depression or helping those with disabilities.
One of the greatest things about sports is the way it always gives back within the communities where teams reside, and I’m not just talking about OriolesREACH, the team’s charitable arm, or the many foundations formed to help the community. Nor am I talking about the untold giving of the Baltimore Ravens and their players’ many efforts via foundations that they’ve created.
One of the things I am most proud about is something we started at PressBox. That is our annual 100 Block Charity Football Pool, pegged to the NFL’s championship game or, as we are allowed to call it, “The Big Game.” This is our seventh season soliciting the help of our vendors, friends and sponsors who buy a block in our pool for $175 and play for a charity or foundation of their choice. When we award our four winners this February, I am thrilled to say we’ll get over the $100,000 mark in giving to some great causes such as Sports Boosters of Maryland, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Ronald McDonald House, Camp Shoresh and many others.
On our weekly TV show, we just had a representative of a different sports- related foundation on each December program. Additionally, in the December issue of PressBox, our topic on page 15’s “The 15,” we created a list of 15 foundations or nonprofits that use sports as the hook to do good deeds.
The entire list of these 15 can be seen by going to pressboxonline.com and hitting the tab that says “In Print,” and then scan the content for it. I urge you all to come away from reading my column this month with an awareness of how many good causes are out there wearing the “In Sports” banner.
Our list of 15 probably could have gone to 150 if we researched it a bit, but these 15 were front and center to our staff:
All Kids Should Play, Athletes Serving Athletes, Brigance Brigade, Boys and Girls Clubs, Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation, Casey Cares Foundation, Catch A Lift Fund, Craig Willinger Fund, The First Tee of Greater Baltimore, The 4th Quarter, Next One Up, Special Olympics Maryland, Sports Boosters of Maryland, Baltimore SquashWise and Team Up For 1.
Whatever the mission, the organizations on this list share a purpose and vision that uses sports to raise money. This can translate into powerful ways of assisting all sorts of people with a wide spectrum of needs.
Sports can serve as the medium and message for raising the quality of life for our fellow citizens. Certainly, the people who have seen fit to start these campaigns deserve our thanks and support, to make sure these efforts are not left in the shadows.
Stan “The Fan” Charles is founder and publisher of PressBox.
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