A local organization is using sports to improve the lives of youth in Northwest Ohio. UpLyft Toledo, a non-profit charity, collects and donates used sports equipment to underprivileged kids in various schools, organizations, and other programs so that they have the necessary equipment to participate in sports and fitness.
“It’s so important to raise awareness in the community that these types of situations exist where people are not getting to enjoy the benefits of what athletics bring,” says Matt Slomka, board member for UpLyft Toledo. “Who doesn’t have a garage full of old stuff that could go to a good cause?”
Driving Down Costs of Sports to Increase Participation
According to Project Play, more than 76 percent of kids ages 6-12 and more than 73 percent of kids ages 13-17 were involved in some sort of organized sport in 2020. Unfortunately, the cost to participate is high, and parents are feeling the burden. Parents are spending an average of $693 per year for one child to participate in organized sports with some expenses exceeding $9,000.
Founder and President of UpLyft Toledo, Bill Laranga, set his sights on one goal: don’t let the cost of sports equipment hinder the ability of kids to get involved in sports. He personally believes that getting your child involved in athletics is invaluable to their growth and development.
“They provide a platform for kids to learn life’s most important lessons and concepts, such as being a good teammate, being depended on, perseverance, and working through adversity,” says Laranga.
Since UpLyft’s inception in 2017, the organization has donated more than $120,000 worth of equipment as the result of countless community drives, most recently at Rogers High School in August. UpLyft teamed up with Micah Hyde’s Imagine for Youth Foundation to collect and donate hundreds of pairs of cleats and roughly 50 pairs of shoulder pads, among other items that went to the varsity, junior varsity, and little league football teams. For those who don’t know who Hyde is, he was a former football player in Fostoria and is now playing for the Buffalo Bills in the NFL. According to the foundation’s website, Hyde’s foundation helps financially disadvantaged kids thrive academically and athletically by providing them with necessary supplies, resources and equipment.
This is one of several donation drives UpLyft arranges during any given year. Each drive aligns with seasonal sports, so fall would focus on collecting football and soccer equipment, spring would focus on baseball equipment, and winter would focus on hockey and basketball, etc. The goal, according to Slomka, is to collect and donate $30,000 worth of equipment throughout 2022. So far, they’ve reached about $15,000.
Getting involved
If you’d like to help support UpLyft Toledo, you can do so by making a monetary donation on their website here. Additionally, volunteers are the backbone of the organization. Slomka says about 10-15 volunteers are needed for each drive. You can learn more about volunteer opportunities here.
If you have equipment that you no longer want and need picked up, or if you need more information on where to drop off equipment, email UpLyft Toledo.
