Soccer in the Streets has been selected as a 2020 winner of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Sports Award. All four winners received a $25,000 cash award and were honored at a virtual ceremony on Oct. 4, according to a press release.
This award recognizes and honors those in sports who display an innovative and collaborative approach to making their communities a healthier place to live. This includes sports teams, athletes, and community-based organizations that use sports as a platform to address many of the root causes that influence health and health equity.
Soccer in the Streets has reframed health equity around transit hubs in the inner city by repurposing unused land in the heart of Atlanta to be more inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.
“Soccer in the Streets and our StationSoccer partners are both humbled and honored for this prestigious recognition. History tells us the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has impacted many communities - winning this year’s RWJF Sports Award means we are making positive strides in the health, equity, and social justice space, we are very proud to accept this award.” --Sanjay Patel, director of Strategic Projects, Soccer in the Streets
Past winners include the Chattanooga Football Club, Chicago Fire Foundation, Doc Wayne, Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism, Figure Skating in Harlem, InnerCity Weightlifting, MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation, MLSE Foundation, PeacePlayers International, San Francisco Giants Community Fund, Soccer Without Borders, The Moyer Foundation, The Sanneh Foundation, Tony Hawk Foundation, and the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy.
“I’m inspired by this year’s winners who show us the power of sports to connect us and make us healthier, no matter our race, gender, abilities, or economic background,” said Julie Morita, RWJF Executive Vice President. “Playing sports unites people, and that’s a wonderful vision for a healthier, more just, more equitable world for everyone.”
Other winners:
All Girl Everything Ultimate Program (AGE UP) in South Seattle.
Border Youth Tennis Exchange on both sides of the US/Mexico border.
The United States Association of Blind Athletes
Information: www.rwjf.org/sportsaward
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