Northside Youth nears $28.6 million goal, seeks community support

The Northside Youth Organization plans to renovate the existing gym at Chastain Park and add a new second gym to expand programs Provided by NYO TVS As the Northside Youth Organization reaches percent of its million fundraising goal it is shifting gears and now asking families and individual supporters of the nonprofit s athletic programs to help it reach the finish line Josh Burr the executive director of the Northside Youth Organization NYO advised Rough Draft that the capital campaign will fund the addition of a second gym meeting space training space a larger weight room and renovations to an existing gym The additional gym space may enable an expansion of girls basketball and help facilitate the addition of recreational volleyball to NYO s programs The capital campaign began with a large contribution from former Southern Company CEO Tom Fanning and his wife Sarah NYO s first big donors It funded a new turf field the largest at Chastain Park Fanning Field is now a year-round site for baseball and football Galloway School and NYO partnership runs deep The Galloway School has supported NYO for years and the school and the nonprofit share athletic facilities Fanning Field now serves as Galloway s home field for its boys and girls soccer matches Several Galloway teams also use it as a practice space Galloway basketball and volleyball teams have used the existing gym at Chastain Park Fanning has coached football baseball and basketball at the park After graduating from high school he planned to attend West Point to play football But a broken ankle suffered during practice ended those plans That s when he got a call from NYO to help coach and years later he s still volunteering Fanning and his family have been involved in sports for various years His brother wife and in-laws were athletes and his daughter and sons played in several NYO programs Over the years he s seen kids he coached come back as adults with their own children enrolling in the programs Related stories NYO marks years of youth sports with new gym plan Galloway and NYO open new field at Blackwell Stadium NYO enters new partnership with Galloway School The City of Atlanta budgeted million toward the capital campaign s new gym and renovations Burr reported that the initial donation encouraged others to participate The city will spend what Burr estimates will be million to million to build a parking garage with about spaces next door to the gym Though not part of the NYO capital campaign or using its donations the garage will provide needed parking for the added demand High demand for NYO programs NYO founded in offers baseball boys and girls basketball softball cheerleading flag and tackle football for kids ages to Burr noted the organization has more than registrations annually Atlanta s comprehensive master plan for Chastain Park determined the park needed more gym space NYO figures showing annual waiting lists of to kids for basketball assistance the plan s conclusions that more access is needed Burr mentioned that the waiting list continues to grow even though NYO rents another eight to gyms from schools and churches across the city Success breeds success but the demand for participation in NYO programs has outstripped the support Hertz notified Rough Draft Burr announced NYO constantly seeks off-site gym space The obstacle is that those schools and churches often have their own basketball leagues limiting the time the facilities are available NYO lost one of its main hubs this year at Sandy Springs United Methodist Church s gym which they leased seven days a week That property was sold in June and the buildings were being torn down for Hillcrest a mixed-use improvement by High Street Residential and Third Urban Burr mentioned area members regularly volunteer their services to NYO The capital campaign began the same way with strong engagement and participation from NYO families Hertz is one of those helpers who keeps putting his hand up He started working with NYO after college coaching baseball and basketball His children were participants and now he s coaching and watching his grandchildren in NYO programs The capital campaign will fund renovation of the existing gym at Chastain Park and the addition of a second gym as seen in this rendering Photo provided by NYO TVS I think the whole opportunity to participate in gang sports to be exposed to other young people that may come from different backgrounds different schools different backgrounds than what particular of us have experienced frankly I think that s invaluable Hertz revealed Fanning a member of the Georgia Tech athletic board noted students participating at the college level and in NYO programs gain an tuition that they aren t taught in school Sports participation includes lessons on failing and succeeding the need to be disciplined and work hard and the importance of making a commitment to the gang One of the things that we ve got to come back in touch with is a competitive positive spirit of unity We re so divisive as a society right now we need things to rally around that are positive and good and I think sports is one way to help inculcate that into our American civilization Fanning declared Hertz the chairman and CEO of United Distributors a beverage distribution business also devotes his time to help other nonprofit organizations that are youth-focused such as Children s Healthcare of Atlanta and Camp Twin Lakes Other NYO initiatives mental robustness summer camp assistance Burr stated the last sparse years NYO has focused on its scholarship fund to assure that kids who participate are a better reflection of the population of the city of Atlanta The scholarship fund will be the third stage in its capital campaign NYO started summer camps using a few grant money from the city of Sandy Springs Burr announced that those camps have grown but to provide more opportunities for children in the Chastain Park neighborhood and farther out in areas like Sandy Springs and Brookhaven will require more funding NYO has done a lot of work over the past year focusing on mental fitness Burr mentioned it has been working with Children s Healthcare of Atlanta on initiatives providing guidance and expertise on youth strength and safety The NYO gym will have space for physical therapy strength clinics and volunteer trainings as well as an opportunity to have an on-site athletic trainer during events NYO also partners with Hillside a residency center for kids who struggle with mental strength which helps participants to improve their mental strength and well-being to increase self-esteem creativity and cognitive performance The post Northside Youth nears million goal seeks group backing appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta