Awards day - DC SCORES wins twice in one morning

Written by Jake Lloyd
Communications Manager

This morning was special for DC SCORES. By the time staff members walked into the office, our social media channels were blowing up.

We had received two huge honors in a matter of minutes. Talk about starting the week off right.

The first one we knew about. For the fourth time, the Catalogue for Philanthropy chose DC SCORES for inclusion in its annual catalogue celebrating the best nonprofits in Washington, DC. We have now been picked for the catalogue all four times we've been eligible and applied.

This is a tremendous testament to our continued work with kids -- now 2,200 served annually -- in communities across the District.

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Minutes later, the Center for Nonprofit Advancement chose DC SCORES as the winner of its 2017 Advancement in Management (AIM) Award. The AIM for Excellence Award Competition is an annual award presented to a Washington, DC metropolitan area nonprofit organization for outstanding achievement in organizational management.

This is what Susan Leon Seemann, an AIM Award Selection Committee Member, had to say about DC SCORES:

“I was blown away by the deliberate process that DC SCORES has attacked each of their deficiencies. They understand no nonprofit is perfect, embrace their imperfections, come up with a way to improve them, measure their results, and make adjustments based on the results. This is the epitome of excellence in management and what this award is about."

DC SCORES is thrilled to have received such distinguished awards and looks forward to continuing to grow and strive to serve every child in DC in need of our year-round programming.

"These are both incredible honors," said Executive Director Bethany Rubin Henderson. "They are a testament to the work our staff, board of directors, and coaches put in to make DC SCORES a model kids-serving organization in Washington, DC. We look forward to continuing our growth as a program and also from a management standpoint as we move into our 24th year in the District."

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About DC SCORES
DC SCORES goes where kids in need are and creates neighborhood teams that give kids the confidence and skills to succeed on the playing field, in the classroom, and in life.

Vision
We envision a DC where every child – no matter their family income – experiences the joys of childhood: sports, arts, service, and being part of a team. Where every child – no matter their family circumstances – is empowered to find academic success and grow into an emotionally and physically healthy teen and adult. Where every neighborhood supports and celebrates its children and their accomplishments on and off the playing field.

Model 
DC SCORES’ school-based, team-based, whole child programming — delivered through free after-school programs and summer camps facilitated by trained youth development professionals — intentionally integrates soccer, poetry, and service-learning to help low-income 3rd-8th graders throughout the District build physical fitness, find their voice, improve their literacy, increase school engagement, and strengthen ties to their community.

History 
Julie Kennedy, a former teacher at Marie Reed Learning Center, invented this complementary combination of activities in 1994 when she began working with a group of 15 girls with little to do after school. Ms. Kennedy learned that the team-centered relationships built on the soccer field translated into poetry workshops, and the development of teamwork and leadership prepared students to act as agents of change in their communities through service-learning projects.

America SCORES 
The program quickly expanded throughout DC, and in 1999 Kennedy began sites in Boston and Chicago, thus creating America SCORES, headquarters to 13 programs across the United States and Canada: Bay Area, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, New England, New York, Portland, St. Louis, Seattle, Vancouver, and Washington, DC.

Visit www.DCSCORES.org to learn more, donate, and/or volunteer.