Project Play: Southeast Michigan, an initiative supported by the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation in partnership with the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, is supporting the establishment and operation of a sports equipment sharing program.
Project Play: Southeast Michigan, an initiative supported by the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation in partnership with the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, is supporting the establishment and operation of a sports equipment sharing program.
SportPort will provide access to equipment for baseball, basketball, tennis, hockey and other athletics in Southeast Michigan. Intended to serve as a community resource for youth and their families, like borrowing a book from a library, the program provides an opportunity for youth and families to borrow the equipment for a defined period.
State of Play research shows that only 13 percent of youth in Southeast Michigan are active at least one hour a day. The new program is aimed at encouraging free, active play and sports sampling.
"Through a number of community conversations that took place following the release of our 2017 State of Play report for the region, we heard loud and clear that improving access to sports equipment was a priority to help get kids playing more," Jim Boyle, vice president of programs & communications, Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation said. "We're excited to be building these key partnerships throughout the region to deliver an innovative solution to address that need."
After launching in Pontiac earlier this month, Project Play: Southeast Michigan plans to launch pilots in 15 communities throughout Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw, St. Clair, Monroe and Livingston counties that lend sports equipment to local children over a three-year period.
The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan announced $200,000 in grants through the Project Play Initiative for the first five stationary community partners that will serve as inaugural equipment lending sites for SportPort.
Grants will help the communities set up a stationary lending program to loan sports equipment to local youth with no cost to youth and families. With support from the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, mobile equipment units, powered by the YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit, will also bring varying sport and recreation equipment to specific sites in each of the communities throughout the year.
