For kids in many of Chicago's neighborhoods where resources are scarce there is a lack of diversity of sports opportunities. Sport in many communities means basketball and only basketball. While it's a great sport it doesn't always fit the interests of all the kids in the community. One of the key objectives that World Sport Chicago has is to help find a sport for all kids. This objective has driven us to introduce kids to sports from archery and badminton to wrestling and weightlifting. Just in the past month World Sport Chicago has held sports festivals in four locations across the city. The focus of these festivals has been to get kids active and help them find a sport that might meet their interests. From programs with the organization City Year and kids from west side and south side schools to programs in Garfield Park and the Near West side we've been working to increase the variety of sports that kids experience.
Our activities this summer will continue this focus on expanding sport opportunities. Early in June we are offering our second annual city-wide wrestling event at Navy Pier, the World Sport Chicago Wrestling Festival. That event is followed quickly with another community sport fest in the Auburn Gresham community. Also, for the third summer we are hosting the World Sport Chicago Summer Track Program. Every one of these programs and events is targeted at broadening the opportunities for kids to try different sports and to engage in developing their passion for a sport.
Over the course of the summer, we hope that many of you are able to take advantage of these and other opportunities to come out and help the kids. Whether it is as a volunteer at an event or as a part of the Coach for Chicago program every opportunity provides new experiences to kids from across Chicago and helps them benefit from the value of sport.
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Sincerely, 
Scott Myers
Executive Director |
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WSC Supports the First Annual Olympic Youth Sports Festival in East Garfield Park
On Saturday, April 23, World Sport Chicago (WSC) capped off a busy week of sports demonstrations and clinics for CPS students on spring break, by supporting the first annual Olympic Youth Sports Festival at Westinghouse High School in the East Garfield Park neighborhood, hosted by Breakthrough Urban Ministries and the newly created East Garfield Park Sports Association.
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The Southside Scramblers Wrestling Club Makes "Off-Season" the "In-Season" Thing to Do
As Head Coach of the DuSable High School wrestling program, Dave "The Claw" Burchett has a passion for developing wrestlers and building men. He has seen first-hand how the sport can build character and open up avenues of opportunities for inner-city kids. His love of the sport and commitment to Chicago's youth who share his passion for wrestling prompted him to start the Southside Scramblers a few years ago as an "off-season" program for elementary and high school grapplers.
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Intern Profile: Jonathan Brue
Special thanks to Jonathan Brue, a junior at Dordt College (IA), for the difference he made this spring as a World Sport Chicago intern. Jonathan is pursuing a degree in sports management and took advantage of a unique program his school offers to come to Chicago and work in an internship to gain college credit and valuable life experiences. The program, Chicago Semester, helps place juniors and seniors in a large metropolitan city to earn their required cross-cultural credits and kick-start their careers.
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New volunteer opportunities with World Sport Chicago are now available at MyVolunteerPage.com. Logon and sign up today!!!
- In-office volunteer opportunities are now available on select daytime and evening shifts to help with planning for the 2011 World Sport Chicago Wrestling Festival and the 2011 Family Sports Festival.
- Seasonal professional volunteer opportunities are now available for graphic designers and special event planners. Instructions on how to apply for these positions can be found under the "Now Accepting Applications" category on MyVolunteerPage.com.
- World Sport Chicago Wrestling Festival (Saturday, June 4th @ Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand): Postings are now available and help is needed for registration, event operations and tournament operations positions. Applications for volunteer shift managers are also requested. This year's event is expected to draw over 600 wrestlers from throughout the region ages 10 through 35+. Special exhibition matches will also be featured.
- World Sport Chicago Summer Track Program (first meet Saturday, June 25th @ Hanson Stadium, 5501 W. Fullerton): Postings will be made available in early June for the first track meet of the third season of the World Sport Chicago Summer Track Program. The Summer Track Program is a free introductory experience for kids throughout Chicago ages 6 through 14. Volunteers will be needed to help with tournament and event management. Meets are scheduled to take place throughout the summer on Saturdays, June 25th, July 16th, August 6th and August 20th.
Check out these other great volunteer opportunities from some of World Sport Chicago's community sports partners:
- Second Annual Big Shoulders Fund Field Day (Saturday, June 18th @ De LaSalle High School, 3434 S. Michigan): The Big Shoulders Fund serves nearly 24,000 students in 93 inner-city schools by providing programming, resources and support to some of Chicago's most under-served communities. The Field Day helps Big Shoulders bring awareness to their mission by allowing supporters to participate in childhood favorites such as a balloon toss, relay race, punt and pass contest and many other activities. Volunteers for this event will work four hour shifts helping with registration, event operations and activity management. To learn more or to sign-up for this opportunity, contact Amy Drozda (312)751-3850 or adrozda@bigshouldersfund.org by Friday, June 3rd. You can also learn more about participating in the Field Day through the event website.
- 2011 CoverGirl Classic Gymnastics Competition (Thursday, July 21st to Sunday, 24th @ UIC Pavilion, 525 S. Racine): WSC is again proud to support USA Gymnastics with this event which marks the final qualifier for the 2011 Visa National Championships. The event will feature some of the top female gymnasts from around the country. Volunteers are needed to assist with marketing & media relations, tournament operations and event operations. To volunteer for this event, you are required to sign-up and register on the USA Gymnastics website. Questions can be directed to Cindy Morano at cindymorano@hotmail.com or Norbert Bendixen at norbertil@aol.com.
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Give us Feedback on Your Most Recent Volunteer Experience:
In an effort to make our volunteer program better and to ensure that your experience is both rewarding and meaningful, we'd like to hear your feedback on your most recent volunteer experience with World Sport Chicago. We'd also like to gather a little more information on your interests as a volunteer. The volunteer feedback survey should only take about 3-8 minutes to complete and your answers are anonymous should you not request follow-up from our staff. Please click here to be taken to the survey.
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