The Importance of Sports Involvement Within a Community

Abstract

Abstract: On October 20, 2018, I organized and ran a charitable fundraiser in the town of East Fishkill, New York, with three other peers. The fundraiser was created to revitalize a roller hockey rink. In 2008, our town deemed our rink unsafe due to the failure to maintain and upkeep it’s condition. The town was forced to cancel all in-house and travel leagues. Our goal was to earn enough money to restore the rink to a safe condition and reinstitute the leagues and promote more recreational use. Our event involved large community participation in efforts to maximize charitable donations. By revitalizing the leagues, we hope to provide the youth and adults in our community with an opportunity to improve their lives. The involvement in organized sports has the power to drastically improve one’s well-being. Further research explores the effects that team sports has on someone’s mental and physical health, educational influence and opportunity, and how participation provides an outlet for safe activity which can steer a person away from drugs and alcohol. I chose to participate in the fundraiser because I’ve been playing organized hockey since a young age. I’ve learned the importance of teamwork, communication, hard-work, and dedication which I implemented through each phase in our event. I hope to give others the same opportunity I had.