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Sports can mean a lot to young people and their families, sometimes in unexpected ways. Good Plays are the works of organizations whose focus and dedication are devoted to improving the lives of kids by participating in sports. Sometimes this means introducing an entirely new experience, such as for kids who have never held a golf club, or for kids who have never played basketball with their peers on the other side of a political barrier. They're all Real Good Plays.
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Fields of Dreams
Fields of Dreams supports youth baseball and softball in the District of Columbia as a means of developing athletic and life skills for boys and girls in disadvantaged areas of the city. The program is motivated by the belief that there is great value in combining athletic, educational, and citizenship training in a way that connects and reinforces all three for kids. FOD participants, known as "Dreamers," get the opportunity to further their education while engaging in academic, athletic and social activities in a safe and constructive environment.
Fields of Dreams is supported by many individuals and organizations in the area, including: A Greater Washington; RBI Academy (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities); Washington Metropolitan Dialogue; DC Children & Youth Investment Trust Corporation; Fannie Mae Foundation; Bethesda Community Base Ball Club; The Washington Post/Philip L. Graham Fund; and the Friedman Billings Ramsey Charitable Foundation.
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The First Tee
The First Tee is an initiative of the World Golf Foundation designed to give young people of all backgrounds an opportunity to develop through its golf and character education programs life-enhancing values such as honesty, integrity and sportsmanship. The First Tee operates through 202 local chapters in 45 states, including these in metropolitan Washington:
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Playing for Peace
Playing for Peace was founded in 2001 by Washington natives Sean and Brendan Tuohey, who played high school basketball locally, played in college and coached post-college. Their experiences formed the premise for Playing for Peace, which is that "children who play together can learn to live together." It has taken them all over the world, to establish successful programs in Northern Ireland, South Africa, and Israel and the West Bank. (Be sure to read Sean Tuohey's blog from the Middle East.)
The programs attract children 10-14 years of age to participate in basketball and life-skills activities that enable them to learn leadership and how to live as friends and neighbors. These children are old enough to pick up the basics of hoops, yet young enough not to have succumbed to the prejudices that too often surround them. Through the power of sport and education and the strategic integration of public diplomacy, Playing for Peace is altering the pattern of preconceived prejudice and is equipping children with the skills needed to address the serious social and health issues in their communities.
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Washington Tennis Education Foundation
Founded in 1955, the Washington Tennis & Education Foundation's (WTEF) mission is to improve the life prospects of DC-area youth, particularly those from lower-income communities, by providing athletic, academic, and life-skills activities that teach discipline, build self-esteem, and improve academic performance.
WTEF's goals are: (1) to keep children off city streets and engaged in productive activities that instill self-pride and discipline; (2) to provide opportunities for children to improve their academic performance and help them make choices that enrich rather than endanger their lives; and (3) to provide opportunities for talented athletes to develop their tennis skills so that they can obtain college scholarships.
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(Have a Good Play you want to let the world know about? Drop us an email and point us to the organization and we'll add it.)
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