Prepared by Andrew Cantwell on behalf of the Cal Ripken Sr.

Foundation

Seeking
$50,000
from the
Youth Summer Basketball
Amelia
Peabody League at Springfield College
Foundation to create and maintain a Summer basketball program for at
risk youth in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Amelia Peabody Foundation

1
1 Hollis Street, Suite 215
Wellesley, MA 02482-4677

Executive Director, Margaret N. St.Clair

1 Hollis Street, Suite 215
Wellesley, MA 02482-4677

December 19, 2016

Dear Ms. Executive Director,

Attached is a grant proposal to be submitted to the Amelia Peabody Foundation, written
on behalf of the Cal Ripkin Sr. Foundation, for 2017. The proposal outlines a comprehensive
Youth Summer Basketball Program to benefit high school teens in Springfield, MA. The
summer league would focus mainly on educating participants on the benefits of pursuing higher
education as well as working cooperatively within a community.
Research shows that crime and education in the city of Springfield are not where they
need to be. With crime rates well above the national and state averages, and high school
graduation rates well below, it is clear that the city is struggling in these areas. The program will
seek to tackle these issues head on. A well-motivated coaching staff, with ties to the Springfield
region, could impose a lot of wisdom on these young players. With emphasis on furthering
education while collaborating with peers, the program hopes to improve the lives of the at risk
youth in the area.
The proposed project would be held primarily at the Springfield College field house. The
project gives opportunities for college students to build experience through coaching, and
sponsorship opportunities for local business. Coupled with benefits to the players of the league,
this program seeks to improve the quality of life in Springfield while also pushing community
development.
The Youth Summer Basketball Program fits in well with the agenda of the Amelia
Peabody Foundation. It is a unique program that serves disadvantaged youth within the
community that it resides.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Andrew Cantwell

2
 Table of Contents
State of Crime and Education in Springfield, MA 4
Executive Summary 6
Description of Proposed Project 7
Projected Timeline 10
Description of Available Facilities 11
Personnel 13
Summary 14

*Figure A: Metroball League Teams in Washington, D.C.

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State of Crime and Education in Springfield, MA

High Crime Rates

Springfield Massachusetts has long been a violent city. For years its crime rates have

fallen well above the state and national averages. To easily view crime statistics, it is common to

compare places based on a, per 100,000 residents basis. Springfield sees well over 4,000 crimes

per 100,000 residents reported every year. Compare that to the 2,000 crimes reported in Mass

per 100,000 residents every year and the 2,800 reported average for the entire country. There is

no denying the criminal issue that the city faces. The overall crime rate in Springfield is 55%

higher than national averages and for every 100,000 people the city sees 12.31 crimes per day.

Although, year over year crime has decreased 10% in the city, the numbers are still staggeringly

higher than state and national averages.

Summer Crime Springfield Schools

What is common among crime across the country, is that it increases during summer

months. The following chart gives you an outline as to the current trend in summer crime rates

in the country.

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Figure B: Graph showing increased crime during summer months

In a cold weather climate, Springfield falls right in line with this graph. The city alone, sees

criminal offenses rise 15% during summer months, with violent crimes rising 7% during June,

July, and August. This should come as no surprise however. With children not having school,

parents are struggling to keep them busy. They are staying out later with nothing to occupy their

time. Giving the youth in this city something to keep them busy during the summer months

could certainly help in curbing these statistics.

Springfield Schools

Based on school test results, the city of Springfield received a 2 out of 10 from the

GreatSchools city rating. Only 66.7% of students graduate from Springfield schools. The

district receives a 16.4% dropout rate as well. Compare those with the state totals of 87.3% and

5.1%, and it is clear that Springfield school districts are struggling to sustain decent graduation

levels. Such poor academic records can lead to numerous issues for the community. With more

than a fourth of the students not reaching graduation, a large segment of the young population is

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at an immediate disadvantage. Without a high school diploma, these young kids will struggle to

find well-paying jobs. In 2013, Springfield had 37.8% of its population living below the poverty

line. This number is staggeringly higher than the state average, at only 15.3%. With low income

jobs, these kids will struggle to support a family, perhaps leading to crime in order to get by. If

serious programs are not enacted to improve the education of young people in Springfield, crime

and poverty rates in the city could continue to climb.

Executive Summary

The proposed project will create and maintain a boys summer basketball program for at

risk high schoolers in the Springfield area. The league will be held on the Springfield College

campus. The premise behind this league is to get these kids playing a sport and building

comradery among their neighbors and classmates instead of spending their time getting into

trouble. Research shows that although there are numerous leagues in Springfield for kids K-8,

there seems to be an absence of summer leagues for high schoolers. Additionally, the

educational aspect of these leagues is lacking. The leagues currently established in the region

service younger children, and are not geared toward improving the lives of the kids that play in

them.

The proposed summer league will certainly address these shortcomings. The league

would be open to all boys of high school age. The coaching criteria for the league is one of its

most important attributes. In order to find coaches that will instill proper ideals in the minds of

these children I will need to find educated, young adults. I will advertise jobs for coaching at

colleges and universities in the Pioneer Valley. Specifically, I will be looking for motivated

individuals with a passion for improving the community. The coaches will be tasked with not

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only running a team, but also educating players on how to make positive life decisions and strive

for higher education. Once again, the educational component as well as the target demographic

of high schoolers, are the two main components that set my proposed league apart from other

established leagues in the area.

With a total of ten teams, the league will cost no more than $45,000 to build and

maintain. Equipment, including uniforms will run us around $15,000. The sports equipment

will be reusable, while the jerseys would have to be bought every year, with new sponsors for

every team. Insurance will run us about $1,000 dollars and salaries for coaches and myself will

total just about $16,000. Logistics including gym time at Springfield College and transportation

would be just above $10,000. Transportation is crucial for this project, because we are

passionate about getting as many kids involved as possible. A bus that can bring kids to and

from games is imperative. Springfield is a large city, and many kids do not have the

transportation to get to Springfield College, at their disposal. With $5,000 held for emergencies,

this brings our total requested funds to just under $50,000.

Description of Proposed Project

Once again, the goal for this summer league is to educate at risk youth in the city of

Springfield. With a specific focus on education and collaboration, these teens can learn to make

better life decisions, as well as build friendly relationships with their neighbors and peers. The

ultimate objective is to increase interest in education and furthering education beyond high

school, and creating a closer community in an attempt to decrease violent crimes in the metro.

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 To achieve this objective, the coaching staff for my league must fulfill certain criteria.

The ideal candidate will have grown up in Springfield, in a lower income home. They will have

graduated high school and pursued higher education at one of the colleges or universities in the

surrounding region. I will begin my search at Springfield College and go from there. The

individual will need to have great communication skills as well as a passion for bettering their

community. The best way for these coaches to connect with the players is if they can relate to

them. A young college student, coaching high schoolers on not only basketball, but life, can go a

long way.

To recruit kids to play, I will advertise the league in high schools all across the city.

Social media is an easy and free way to promote a project like this, and I will utilize this tool to

the best of my ability. I will hold an open draft/tryout, the weekend before the league is set to

start. Although it is a draft, every child who wants to play will get on a team. Once the teams

are assembled it is up to the coaches to set up practices and inform kids of games. Ideally, there

will be one practice a week, and games will be held on Saturdays. The practice location is up to

the coach. It is their job to learn where everyone lives and find a time and location that is most

convenient for their team. With a number of public basketball courts in the city of Springfield

this should not be a problem. Practices should be no more than an hour long for convenience

sake. It is up to the coaches to instill punctuality in their players, in hopes that they show up to

every practice and game. Again, how practices are run is at the coaches discretion although

educating the kids must be a key component. Whether they incorporate it into the drills, or just

take time at the end of the day to impart some wisdom, the coaches must make improving these

kids lives, their number one priority. Below is a map of all available public courts for use

during practice.

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Figure C: Map of available public basketball courts in Springfield, MA

Notice that every dot represents a public court in Springfield. The dots with a number, indicate

that there is more than one available court at that location.

To sustain this league for years to come, I will also be looking for sponsors for each

individual team. Similar to other recreational sports leagues, my goal will be to have a local

business sponsor each team. With the businesss name on the back of the teams jersey, the

arrangement can be mutually beneficial. Money from sponsors can help us maintain the league

after the initial grant money has run out, and the publicity for the local business can help them

earn revenue.

The league will be held at Springfield College. I will rent out the colleges field house

once a week for three months, starting the last weekend in May. To rent the gym I must also pay

for custodial fees, as they would not normally have to work on a Saturday. Below is a proposed

schedule for the league.

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Projected Timeline

January

Grant Awarded

February April

Advertise for coaching staff in colleges and universities

Contact and set up sponsors for teams
Order all equipment
Rent out gym space for all 3 months
Order and arrange busses for all 3 months
Create insurance policy
Interview for coaching positions
Hire coaches

May

Advertise league in high schools

Hold open draft
First games of the season start last weekend in May

June-August

Games every Saturday starting at 9 a.m

Playoffs start the last two weeks in August
Finals to be held weekend before Labor Day

October December

Begin planning for next years league

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Alternatives

As is the case with many cities and towns in Massachusetts, youth basketball programs,

both year-round and seasonal, tend to only serve the younger age groups. In Springfield, there

are a number of basketball programs for kids in grades 3 and 4, 5 and 6 as well as 7th and 8th

graders. Unfortunately, it would seem that the high schoolers in Springfield do not have a league

to call their own. As criminal activity increases with age, creating a program for the older age

groups could be highly beneficial. Additionally, this is the age where a lot of kids make the

conscious decision to commit to school, or give up. Although, the Springfield YMCA does have

a Teen Leaders Club, this program focuses more on community service and volunteerism, and

less on how sports can be used to build leadership and responsibility. From the research I have

done, it would seem that alternative methods to youth basketball leagues and youth development

in the area, do not live up to the unique approach that this proposed project will take.

Description of Available Facilities

As previously stated, the summer league games will be held at the field house on the

Springfield College campus. I chose the field house because it is not the primary facility for

athletics at the college. Below is an image of what the field house looks like.

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Figure C: Photo of Springfield College Field House

As you can see from the photo, the field house holds 4 basketball courts surrounded by a

running track. I will hold two games at a time to avoid clutter. In a ten team league with 2

different teams having a bye every week, that makes 8 teams eligible to play every Saturday.

With four games a weekend we should need the facility for roughly 6 hours a weekend. Similar

university gyms rent their multi court space at a rate of $84 an hour. With 12 weeks of games,

this totals to just over $6,000 dollars, not including custodial fees. If you include those, the price

to rent the facilities adds up to almost nine grand.

Equipment for a league like this is not all that exhaustive. It consists of basketballs,

pennies and cones for practices, and two scoreboards. Research shows that this type of

equipment runs in the five to six-hundred-dollar range. All of this equipment can be reused in

following years. The jerseys however will have to be purchased every year. For a ten team

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league, with ideally 15 people on a team, jersey costs reach close to $10,000. Buying in bulk can

reduce these costs, and sponsorship money can help as well.

Personnel

For the proposed summer league, I will be the principal investigator as well as the

commissioner of the league. My background, both personally and professionally, has given me

the skills to prosper in this position. Academically, I am currently pursuing a double major at the

University of Massachusetts, Amherst. I am a Communication/BDIC major focusing my studies

on advertising and media relations. I have developed great communication and leadership skills

through academic course work including conducting primary research and running group

projects. Professionally I am currently working for a leadership development non-profit in

Springfield. I am the Social Media intern at Leadership Pioneer Valley. My social media

promotional skills will give me an upper hand in recruiting both coaches and students. My

unique perspective on leadership development makes me the perfect candidate to vet our coaches

as well as provide the tools they need to educate our players. I also have an extensive

background in the sport of basketball. I have been playing it since I was very young and have

personally benefitted from the educational components of team sports. They have taught me

how to get along with my peers as well as the importance of working together for a common

goal.

As I mentioned in the description section of this proposal, my coaching staff must meet

as strict set of criteria. To get an idea of the ideal candidate, take a look at Springfield College

student, Jason Williams, someone who could certainly coach in this league. Jason is a Junior,

Parks, Recreation, Leisure, and Fitness Studies major at Springfield College. Jason has

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maintained a GPA of a 3.6 and fits the bill for exactly what I am looking for in a coach. He was

born to a low income family in Springfield. Jason says for much of his childhood he was

pressured into illegal activities and crime. He attributes is motivation to succeed to his mother

who raised him and his 3 siblings by herself. Jason says he is committed to staying in the region

and helping young kids realize their potential. He hopes to land a job at the Springfield YMCA

upon graduation and hopes to be a part of their Teen Leaders Club. Jason would be a perfect

addition to our coaching staff for his familiarity and dedication to the area, as well as his clear

academic success. I will use Jason as a benchmark for what the rest of my coaches should look

like. Because, this is a part time job and coaches will be college aged students, their pay will be

$10/hour. If the right people apply to become a coach, this opportunity could be mutually

beneficial as well. Students gain experience in not only coaching, but also leadership and

community development. Our league gets the types of coaches it is looking for, and our players

will have a positive and motivational leader to look up to. A leader that isnt just a coach, but a

friend, and has most likely experienced a very similar upbringing to that of our players.

Summary

Overall, at risk youth in the city of Springfield has been underserved. The crime rates in

the city continue to sit well above the state and national averages. With graduation and poverty

rates following the same trend, something must be done to reach and educate the youth of this

city. The current athletic programs either focus too little on educating participants or do not

target the right age group.

The proposed Springfield Summer Youth Basketball League will address these problems

and look for solutions. By focusing on educational and community development, the league

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hopes to improve teens desire to push forward with their education as well as get along with

their neighbors and peers. As an organization that prides itself on awarding grants to projects

that help at risk youth, we feel that the Amelia Peabody Foundation will would be a perfect fit to

fund our proposal. Additionally, the project will be located within the community it aims to

serve. The hope for this project is, that with the right coaches, and children that are eager to play

a sport they love, we can begin to diminish crime in a city that is has continuously been plagued

by it.

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Projected Budget
CATEGORY DESCRIPTION EXPENSES
EQUIPMENT Balls $350
Pennies $100
Cones $50
Scoreboard $40

UNIFORMS 10 teams, 15 jerseys per $10,000

team

INSURANCE Insurance for player $1,000

safety

GYM TIME Rent gym space once a $6,048

week for 12 weeks
Custodial charge $2,880

TRANSPORTATION Bus Rental $9,852

SALARY Coaches $10/hr $2,400

League Administrator $12,000

TOTAL $44,720
Funds in Case of $5,000
Emergency

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 Appendix
Springfield Crime Data

CRIME INDEX: 8
(100 is safest) Safer than 8% of the cities in the US.

Springfield Annual Crimes

VIOLENT PROPERTY TOTAL

1,662 5,289 6,951
annual crimes per 1,000 residents
10.77 34.27 45.04

Violent Crime Comparison per 1,000 residents

10.77 3.91
Springfield Massachusetts
National Median 3.8

My chances of becoming a victim in Springfield: 1 in 93

In Massachusetts: 1 in 256

Population 154,341 Springfield violent crimes

MURDER RAPE ROBBERY ASSAULT
REPORT TOTAL 18 99 510 1,035
RATE PER 1,000 0.12 0.64 3.30 6.71
Population 321,418,820 United States violent crimes
MURDER RAPE ROBBERY ASSAULT
REPORT TOTAL 15,696 124,047 327,374 764,449
RATE PER 1,000 0.05 0.39 1.02 2.38

Property Crime Rate Comparison per 1,000 residents

34.27 16.91
Springfield Massachusetts
National Median 24.9

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My chances of becoming a victim in Springfield: 1 in 29

In Massachusetts: 1 in 59

Population 154,341 Springfield property crimes

BURGLARY THEFT MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT
REPORT TOTAL 1,310 3,375 604
RATE PER 1,000 8.49 21.87 3.91
Population 321,418,820 United States property crimes
BURGLARY THEFT MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT
REPORT TOTAL 1,579,527 5,706,346 707,758
RATE PER 1,000 4.91 17.75 2.20

Crimes Per Square Mile

National Median 32.0

210 27
Springfield Massachusetts

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Works Cited
http://avcssbasketball.com/how-to-start-a-basketball-league/
http://cars.costhelper.com/charter-bus.html
http://www.areavibes.com/springfield-ma/crime/
http://www.governing.com/topics/public-justice-safety/gov-summer-crime-rates-increases-
police.html
http://www.greatschools.org/massachusetts/springfield/
http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/state_report/gradrates.aspx
http://www.city-data.com/poverty/poverty-Springfield-Massachusetts.html
http://www.byofamily.com/community-guides/sports-and-recreation/basketball/
http://www.springfieldy.org/our-focus/for-youth-development/education-leadership-for-teens/
http://www.metallic.com/portfolio-category/education/
http://www.purdue.edu/recwell/facilities/rentalsReservations/rentalRates.php
http://www.collegefactual.com/colleges/springfield-college/academic-life/academic-
majors/parks-recreation-fitness/

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