CHICAGO, ILLINOIS (February 15, 2024) — Gatorade National Volleyball Player of the Year, Ayden Ames, awarded All Kids Play with a Gatorade Player of the Year Community Grant to help accomplish the All Kids Play mission of transforming lives through youth sports by providing youth sports access to kids across the United States from low-income backgrounds.
Sports have seen a double-digit decline over the past decade, largely due to tighter budgets in communities, but young people that participate in sports are found to be happier, healthier and better students. As part of Gatorade’s commitment to breaking down barriers in sport, every Player of the Year receives a grant to donate to a social impact partner.
“The Gatorade Player of the Year award highlights student-athletes who set an example both on and off the field,” said Kara Darling, Assistant Marketing Manager for Gatorade Player of the Year. “The grants give these athletes a chance to donate to organizations like, All Kids Play, that positively impacts the youth in their own communities.” Jason Schmitz, Executive Director and Founder of All Kids Play added, “Gatorade has been a great partner to All Kids Play over the years as we work to provide student-athletes from low-income backgrounds across the country with high-quality youth sports experiences through which they can learn life-long skills that will benefit them in all aspects of their lives. It is an honor for All Kids Play to receive a Gatorade Player of the Year Community Grant and only fuels our commitment to working even harder to transform lives through youth sports.”
All 610 Gatorade State Player of the Year recipients are awarded a grant to donate to a social impact partner of their choosing. Each Player of the Year can also submit a video about why their organization is deserving of one of 12 Spotlight Grants, which awards an additional $10,000 to the organization. To date, Player of the Year winners’ grants have totaled more than $4.9 million across more than 1,900 organizations.
Gatorade has a longstanding history of serving athlete communities and it’s ambition is to continue doing more to create positive change. Most recently, Gatorade announced its Equity in Sports commitment, a multi-year initiative to help everyone have equal opportunities to play sports and realize their potential.
To keep up to date on the latest happenings, become a fan of Gatorade Player of the Year on Facebook and follow the conversation on Twitter #GatoradePOY. For more on Gatorade Player of the Year Community Grants, the Gatorade Player of the Year, including nomination information, a complete list of past winners and the announcement of the Gatorade National Player of the Year, visit PlayerOfTheYear.Gatorade.com
About Gatorade Player of the Year
Gatorade Player of the Year is the top honor in high school sports, celebrating the nation’s most elite high school athletes for their success on and off the playing surface. Gatorade Players of the Year are not only the best in their sports, but they’re also leaders in the classroom and in their communities. From CEOs and coaches to star athletes, Gatorade Player of the Year winners showcase the power of sport, touting an all-star group of alumni that includes Peyton Manning, Jayson Tatum, Mallory Swanson and Paige Bueckers.
About All Kids Play
All Kids Play is a non-profit organization with a mission of transforming lives through youth sports. As a result of the generosity of Gatorade and its Gatorade Player of the Year Community Grants and Gatorade Equity in Sports Community Grants, All Kids Play has been able to provide student-athletes from low-income backgrounds across the United States with access to high-quality youth sports programs through which they can play the sports they love and also learn life skills for future success in all aspects of life.