Meet our Youth Grant Winners
Every kid deserves an opportunity to play sports.
Since the beginning, that’s been the simple—and powerful—belief behind the Madison Area Sports Commission (MASC) Youth Grant program. Since 2011, the MASC Youth Grant has awarded $598,951 to 137 local organizations that teach leadership, teamwork and provide lifelong physical and mental health benefits for underserved youth. Thanks to the local community and IRONMAN Foundation for their generous support.
In March, the Madison Area Sports Commission and its Advisory Board announced the awardees of our most recent round of grants: Nine new organizations were awarded a total of $21,790. From facility space to equipment to coaching education, these programs are among the best working to fuel the future of sports in Greater Madison.
Read on for a Q&A with the inspirational, entrepreneurial leaders of these organizations as part of our series on MASC Youth Grant awardees.
Read previous winner stories:
Summer 2024 Youth Grant Winners
Spring 2024 Youth Grant Winners
Spring 2025 Youth Grant Winners
PROMOTING INCLUSION WITH DOWN SYNDROME ASSOCIATION OF WISCONSIN (DSAW)
"After our son was born and we learned of his Down syndrome diagnosis, DSAW opened our eyes to a new and amazing community we didn't know existed. The community support, programming and outreach provided by DSAW for all stages of life gives us confidence that Zach will have the tools to live his best life, including exercise and sports education. Thank you, Madison Area Sports Commission, for your life-changing support!"
—Aaron Zimmer, DSAW–South Central parent and board member
MASC: What is your role at Down Syndrome Association of Wisconsin?
Rachel Reit: I am the Director of Marketing & Development for the Down Syndrome Association of Wisconsin. I oversee our organization's fundraising efforts, event planning, educational services and marketing. We serve thousands of people with disabilities and their families with life-changing programs and services each year!
MASC: Why did you decide to apply for Youth Grant funding?
Rachel: We have seen the effects of the generosity of the Madison Area Sports Commission in other local organizations, and we wanted to make sure that people with disabilities were included in considerations to support our community's youth! DSAW–South Central has a center in Sun Prairie, and we've been wanting to begin athletic programming for youth with disabilities there. We needed funds to purchase exercise and sporting equipment to run these programs, and we're excited to teach our friends with disabilities how to live healthier lives.
MASC: How will you put your award to work and how will it impact the existing programs, people and/or community your organization serves?
Rachel: DSAW–South Central will use this award to purchase yoga mats, exercise balls, handheld dumbbells and other exercise/sporting equipment for our Sun Prairie center. We will also purchase cones or other barriers to block off the parking lot from car traffic so our participants can partake in outdoor activities safely. These activities will teach youth with disabilities how to live a healthy lifestyle, exercise and prioritize their physical and mental well-being.
MASC: What do you think is the single most important benefit kids get out of participating in your program?
Rachel: DSAW's programs allow kids with disabilities to connect with their peers while learning critical life skills. We prepare them for meaningful lives in our communities. Learning the foundations of exercising now will set youth with disabilities up for healthy, independent lives in the future. DSAW's wraparound, full life approach to programming helps people with disabilities to exceed expectations and achieve their dreams.
MASC: Anything else you’d like to share?
Rachel: Thank you SO much to the Madison Area Sports Commission for your continued support of the Down Syndrome Association of Wisconsin–South Central. It is so important to include people with disabilities in our efforts to improve our community, and we are grateful for your partnership.
View resources and upcoming events from DSAW–South Central on their Facebook page.
EMPOWERING YOUTH THROUGH MILLENNIUM SOCCER CLUB
"Millennium provides the perfect outlet for these kids to get outside and play a sport they love. Beyond practicing the sport itself, they are practicing important foundational skills such as discipline, teamwork and respect for others. This last fall, we were able to open a new site on the east side of Madison giving us the ability to offer this experience to a whole new group of kids."
—Ben Leombruno, coaching coordinator at Warner Park
MASC: What is your role at Millennium Soccer Club and why did you decide to apply for Youth Grant funding?
Haley Brisky: I am the board president of Millennium Soccer Club. MASC has been a supporter of Millennium Soccer Club in previous years, and we share the same mission of making athletic opportunities accessible to all children in the Madison area.
Our goal is for our players to be active and connected to one another, because many smaller empowered communities make Madison an extraordinary city to live in and raise a family. We are so grateful to partner with MASC so all Madison children can experience organized sports and experiment with teamwork; set goals for self-improvement; and overcome physical, mental and emotional challenges with support from teammates, coaches and their families.
MASC: How will you put your award to work and how will it impact the existing programs, people, and/or community your organization serves
Haley: In fall of 2024, Millennium Soccer Club opened a new site at Warner Park, bringing our programming to a new area of Madison. The MASC Youth Grant will help fund this site as we strive to reach more families from more neighborhoods on the east and north sides of Madison. Our goal at Millennium Soccer Club is to continue to grow to connect as many families and communities as possible.
MASC: What do you think is the single most important benefit kids get out of participating in your program?
Haley: Millennium provides a safe space for children and families to connect with their community and be active. Being on a team, and even wearing the same colors as your teammates, is a special experience that all children should be able to access. Millennium uses soccer as a tool to bring people together, so our players and their families can feel healthy, empowered and deeply connected with one another.
Driven by this powerful impact, Millennium is working hard to reach even more children and families in Madison:
"With the goal of bringing soccer to all children in Madison—regardless of financial status, transportation opportunities or other potential roadblocks—Millennium needed to (and continues to need to) expand to reach more kids. I have experienced firsthand the joy that Millennium brings to this community, and it is one of the key reasons why I am so proud to call Madison home. I cannot wait to see the continued positive impact of Millennium Soccer Club on our community and be part of its growth."
—Hunter Roy, coaching coordinator at Warner Park
See how Millennium Soccer Club connects communities through soccer on their Facebook page.
Summer 2024 Youth Grant Winners
STEPPING UP FOR LAKE VIEW COMMUNITY SCHOOL
“At Lake View, one our goals is for the African American and children to excel in school. I believe that students can expand their knowledge and talents by participating in a program that supports them expressing who they are through step and dance.”
—DeShala Walker (Coach D), school social worker at Lake View Community School
MASC: What is your role in the organization that is receiving this Madison Area Sports Commission Youth Grant award?
Rachel Deterding: I am the Community Schools Resource Coordinator at Lake View Community School, a public elementary school on the north side of Madison. My role is best described as a combination of a social worker and community partnerships manager. I collaborate with students, families, staff and the community to coordinate strategic partnerships with community members and organizations so that we can offer programs and services that are important to our school community.
For the past three years, I have partnered with our school social worker, DeShala Walker (or Coach D, as the kids call her), to offer an after school step team for students in grades 3–5. Stepping is a popular sport and performance art that is rooted in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and combines pop culture, calls and responses, body percussion and spoken word that results in a dynamic, engaging performance.
MASC: Why did you decide to apply for Youth Grant funding?
Rachel: Having a well-established and popular step team is a thing of beauty! It means that this type of programming is meaningful to our school community, but it also comes with great responsibility to sustain and grow it over time. Because the club has been so popular the last few years, we requested funding to expand practices year-round (instead of just 8 weeks, like in past years). We were excited to apply for a grant with Madison Area Sports Commission so that we could serve more students for longer periods of time, and so students could learn more complex dance moves and have more authentic performance opportunities this year.
MASC: How will you put your award to work and how will it impact the existing programs, people, and/or community your organization serves?
Rachel: This grant award will cover the salary of one of our step team coaches, Ms. J, for 24 weeks, and it will help us buy the uniforms that our dancers want and deserve so they feel confident performing on stage. Ms. J is an amazing dancer and choreographer and being able to compensate her fairly for her time and talents is so important to us, since she is one of the few local dancers who can teach this dance form. Our students also have strong opinions about how they want their uniforms to look, and we are excited to have funding to curate their desired looks so they can feel confident when performing on stage.
MASC: What do you think is the single most important benefit kids get out of participating in your program?
Rachel: Coach D says that the strong relationships built between dance team members and dancers and coaches are the biggest benefits to participating in the step team. It is heartwarming to see their confidence as they literally (and figuratively) step outside of their comfort zone as they become leaders, express themselves authentically and realize that they do belong!
Learn more about Lake View Community School on their Facebook page.
MAKING DREAMS COME TRUE FOR MADCITY FUTBOL CLUB
“Many families in our community cannot afford for their children to attend soccer organizations. The expense is simply too much. As a parent of three children, the last thing you want to do is tell your child they cannot attend a soccer program due to expenses. It is a heart-breaking situation. Children should not be denied the opportunity to play and participate in a recreational sport due to costs. To help alleviate these costs to our families would be a dream come true!”
—Cindy Rosas-Bridges, parent of a Sandburg Elementary School student
MASC: What is your role at MadCity Futbol Club and why did you decide to apply for Youth Grant funding?
Jimena Maier: I am the Founder of MadCity Futbol Club and I work as a teacher at a Title 1 elementary school that is part of Madison Metropolitan School District. I noticed both a need and love for extracurricular sports for young kids. However, being able to participate in sports outside of school for most of the students I teach is met with many barriers. Our mission is to provide underserved youth access to activities that teach leadership and teamwork and provide lifelong physical and mental health benefits.
MASC: How will you put your award to work and how will it impact the existing programs, people, and/or community your organization serves?
Jimena: This year, our plan is to provide all participants with shin guards, grip socks, shirts and soccer balls. This grant will help us pay for entry fees for our indoor leagues, so that kids can participate in official games. This is very special for many, as it will be their first time being part of a team. We will be practicing at one of our elementary schools directly after school in order to avoid transportation barriers. This grant will also help with some equipment we need for training.
MASC: What do you think is the single most important benefit kids get out of participating in your program?
Jimena: The most important benefit I have seen kids get out of participating in this program is improved mental health. This club gives them a sense of belonging and helps kids build connections with trusted adults and friends at school. Kids apply what they learn at club during recess and after school when playing with friends. Kids are held to high standards academically and behaviorally knowing that they are expected to do their part in order to participate, resulting in improvement in academics and behavior during the school day. Families feel welcome at school and enjoy being involved.
MASC: Anything else you’d like to share?
Jimena: We are incredibly grateful for this grant, which is making a big difference in our little community of soccer dreamers.
See what else is happening at Sandburg Elementary School on their Facebook page.
Spring 2024 Youth Grant Winners
BEHIND THE SCENES WITH SONIC SPORT CLUB
“We were drawn to Sonic by the values, diversity and multilingual aspects of the club, which is very unique for Madison. It not only engages youth players, it also provides parents and extended families the opportunity to engage in fitness activities and resource sharing—on and off the field.”
—Eugenia Podesta, parent of player and Sonic board member
MASC: Why is Eugenia Podesta’s perspective significant to Sonic SC?
Tarek Said: Like Eugenia, I have a child on the team and am a board member, so I wholeheartedly agree about the many ways this program is creating much-needed community. I’ve also been a team manager and have volunteered for four years with the club, so I’ve experienced this program through many lenses, which is why I felt so passionate about applying for this grant.
MASC: Why did you apply for this grant and what will the funds be used for?
Tarek: We’ve fielded an estimated 50% increase in inquiries from the prior year—in 2023 we nearly doubled the number of teams playing both recreationally and competitively! We want to keep kids and their families at the parks in our community so, simply put, we need financial support to meet that growth potential. Specifically, this award will allow us to provide the keeper goals, maximizing the use of fields in our neighborhood without having to limit participation. Sonic has always been about inclusivity so having these basics means we can say “yes” to more youth in our southside neighborhood.
MASC: What other ways are you working to build your community and the goals you have for Sonic?
Tarek: Our Executive Director, Damian Quintana, has been developing close relationships and collaboration with the City of Fitchburg to provide fields where our teams can train and play in the spring and summer seasons. We have been thrilled to see the city doing everything it can with its resources to help us develop a home base at McKee Farms Park. Together we are continuously adding opportunities and strengthening the whole community through our common values: having a consistent and structured year-round activity in a multicultural and bilingual environment.
Learn more about Sonic Sport Club’s upcoming season on Facebook (in English and Spanish)!
THE DOWN-LOW ON HIGHER DIMENSIONS YOUTH BASKETBALL
“Why did I choose Higher Dimensions for my son? He loves the game, but he’s new to the game. I wanted him to develop the skills of growing on a team as well as understanding the discipline and patience that are fundamental to basketball.”
–Annie, parent of 7th grade player
MASC: How many parents come to your program with perspectives like Annie’s?
Ericka Brown: So many. Too many. (Which is an incredible opportunity!) And that includes me—I founded Higher Dimensions Youth Basketball Program because of my own son, who is now 13 years old. I recognized the importance of Restorative Principles as a key focus for growth and how it syncs with sports. I’m finding a lot of other parents do, too.
MASC: What do you mean by Restorative Principles and how does it play a role in your program?
Ericka: Restorative Principles is at the core of our mission at Higher Dimensions. It combines opportunities for social emotional learning while also promoting skill development in basketball. Things like self-reflection, personal responsibility, repairing harm, active listening and building relationships with teammates, coaches and community all help our players strive for personal improvement, both on and off the court.
MASC: Just WOW. How do you fit those big ideas alongside teaching and coaching basketball basics? Is that where Youth Grant funds come in?
Ericka: Absolutely! While some of our funding will assist with essentials like healthy snacks and securing gym rentals so our teams have a consistent place to practice, I’m really excited about how it will fuel development of our End of Year Camping Trip. This time together is not only a reward for a successful season, but it also allows the team to bond, develop life skills and create lasting memories. Especially for those who have not had the opportunity to go camping before, it introduces them to new experiences and builds their confidence.
Read more about how Ericka Brown’s background inspired the Higher Dimensions Youth Basketball Program.
Stay tuned for more Youth Grant stories throughout the year!
