PPA is extremely proud to report that Open Door Sports Inc., the nonprofit organization formed in partnership with the PPA only continues to grow and succeed in their mission to provide high quality sports programming to underserved communities in the Metro D.C. area. PPA has built its reputation on having an excellent coaching staff and a holistic approach to sports, where the whole child benefits from participating. ODS shares our vision, striving to bring the PPA approach to low income communities as well as to children with special needs. ODS has recently been recognized for their work by GuideStar and have been awarded the status of a Bronze Level Nonprofit. GuideStar is a neutral public charity that collects, organizes, and presents information on every single IRS-registered nonprofit organization. This recognition is a testament to ODS’ commitment to their mission and their organization as a transparent company. GuideStar strives to encourage transparency in every organization, providing all kinds of information on nonprofits, such as: mission, legitimacy, impact, reputation, finances, governance, and so much more. You can view ODS’ GuideStar profile here.
We at PPA completely support ODS’ mission. Sarah Albus, ODS’ Co-founder and Executive Director, was interviewed on CBS Radio’s Washington Report this past winter (you can listen to the entire interview here) and provided great insight into what their programs are doing for youth all over our area.
By focusing on children with special needs and low income communities, ODS provides a service that many wouldn’t otherwise have access to. Their programs strive to incorporate a “team” mentality in their groups, an extremely valuable and often underrated lesson for our youth to learn. As Sarah mentioned in the interview, there is so much more we can offer to these kids. What does it mean to be on a team, to be excited for your teammate’s success, to be part of a community that supports its members? ODS is scheduled to be awarded their Tax-Exempt status toward the end of March, and thus will able to start taking donations soon! Keep up-to-date on ODS' development, and if you want to get involved in their quest, feel free to check out their website and reach out: http://www.opendoorsports.org/contact-us Play On, ODS!