Press

A Winning Combo

At a loss for what to do, parents Ken and Liz Moscaret, Costco members, called nearby Skyline High School and were referred to Simi Reynolds, a star athlete who has a younger brother with a disability. Reynolds agreed to mentor Craig, and the relationship benefited them both.

Athletes For Kids—a youth mentorship program in which high school athletes help elementary school children with disabilities feel better about themselves—was born.

"We found that athletes can have the most life-changing impact on children at that age," says Ken. "The kids look up to them as heroes."

Mentor admission to the program is limited to sophomores and juniors who play competitive sports in high school (which requires a minimum grade point average) and want to make a difference in a child's life.

The admissions process includes training from staff and past mentors on how to work with kids with issues such as hyperactivity, Down syndromes and cerebral palsy. In addition, applicants must pass Washington State Patrol criminal history and background checks.

Participants spend one day a month playing video games, watching and playing sports, riding bikes, going to the park and just hanging out together.

Today, five western Washington high schools participate in Athletes For Kids (www.athletesforkids.org). They hope to expand the program, which has helped hundreds of children so far, beyond the Seattle area, with the help of a $10,000 grant they received as the winner of the 2005 Qwest Spirit Award of Nonprofit of the Year.