The Ravens Foundation, Inc. recently awarded over $100,000 in grants to 26 nonprofit organizations in the Baltimore area. In its ninth year, the Ravens' PLAY 60 Grant (formerly Plan in Motion) continued to provide financial support of up to $5,000 for initiating and/or expanding programs or endeavors that promote physical fitness and nutrition education among youth.
The 2015 PLAY 60 Grant helped fund a variety of projects, such as interscholastic athletic programs for students with disabilities, running clubs, boxing training and after school intramurals, all of which work to increase physical activity and health awareness among local youth. Examples of projects that received grants for 2015 include:
The McKim Community Association's track and field program, introducing children in Baltimore's Jonestown and Pleasant View Gardens neighborhoods to 60 minutes of physical activity per day, as well as providing academic enrichment over the summer break; continued support for the Baltimore Rowing Club, which consistently increased participation and maintained 95 percent attendance rates; UMAR Boxing program, serving the Druid Heights neighborhood, which has aligned progress in the classroom with that in the boxing ring through their motto: "No hooks before books!"; and, funds to keep the BCPS Allied Sports program free of cost to disabled and well-bodied Baltimore County youth.
The Ravens Foundation, Inc. is committed to improving, encouraging and enabling the healthy development of youth in Baltimore and throughout the state of Maryland. Annually, the Ravens Foundation, Inc. provides more than $500,000 in grant funding to local nonprofits. In addition to the PLAY 60 Grant program, other foundation projects include the Ravens Scholars Program, stadium renovations at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute (2006) and Mergenthaler Vocational Technical High School (2008), the Ravens Youth Football Equipment and Apparel Grant Program, KaBoom! playground builds at Collington Square School (2007), the Good Samaritan Hospital Child Development Center (2009) and German Park (2011), and the recent build partnership with Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake in the Pigtown neighborhood located near M&T Bank Stadium (2014).
2015 Ravens PLAY 60 Grant Recipients:
- Annapolis Recreation and Parks - Mighty Milers Program
- Baltimore Rowing Club
- Baltimore SquashWise, Inc.
- BCPS - Allied Sports Program
- Boys and Girls Clubs of Harford County
- Camp Farthest Out, Inc.
- Friends of Patterson Park
- Girls on the Run of Central Maryland
- Harper's Choice Middle School - Garden Group
- Heroes Helping Heroes
- Kennedy Krieger Institute - Increased Access to Exercise Project
- Lutherville Timonium Rec. Council - Soccer
- McKim Community Association, Inc.
- Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital - Weight Smart
- Chapel Hill Elementary School - Mustangs on the Run
- Next One Up Foundation, Inc.
- Patterson Park Public Charter School - Middle School Soccer Program
- Paul's Place, Inc.
- Sisters Academy of Baltimore
- St. Francis Neighborhood Center
- Strive 2 Tri, Inc.
- Team Captain Kids Foundation - Hero Boys Run Club
- The DEA Education Foundation - Youth Dance Programs
- The Maryland School for the Blind - Camp Abilities
- The Tender Bridge
- Umar Boxing Program, Inc.
For more information on the Ravens Foundation, Inc. or the Ravens' PLAY 60 Grant project, visit www.baltimoreravens.com/community.