WHAT WE DO / YEAR TO YEAR
2021 / 2022 Inaugural Year:
-
Money Raised: $5200
-
Finnley solicited and secured donations of material goods from stores in local Haddonfield that were then used to create mini-fundraisers (stores: Maxwell James, Meraki Market, etc.)
-
With an outpouring of support from our local community, including the Haddonfield Soccer Club, we were able to secure, pump up, and deliver 125 gently used and new size 4 soccer balls to the Camden Youth Soccer Club. In addition, we were able to secure and deliver 8 PUGG and Champro pop-up goals.
-
Finnley also collected and donated new and gently used cleats to the Camden Youth Soccer Club
-
Finnley donated her time volunteering at Camden Youth Soccer Club and assisting the coaches in their instruction of youth soccer clinics
-
Awarded one full year of pre-paid training at Parisi South Jersey (training once per week) to a nominated Camden high school student athlete who demonstrated a desire to grow both on and off of the field of play. (Donations of training were named The Donald Polk emPOWERment Program. Also, this student-athlete is now playing college soccer!)
-
Awarded pre-paid training sessions to multiple Camden-based sports programs, including Camden Youth Soccer Club and East Side High School, through our Donald Polk emPOWERment program
-
Inaugural beneficiary event co-hosted by The Gift of Sport and Parisi South Jersey. Attended by Vic Carstarphen, Mayor of Camden, NJ.
2022 / 2023 :
-
Money raised: $7000
-
Julie Foudy Leadership Foundation $250 grant recipient
-
Solicited material and monetary donations from local Haddonfield businesses to boost fundraising efforts (Maxwell James, Meraki Market, Groovy Smoovies, etc.)
-
Used candles donated from Meraki Market for "Candles for a Cause" which helped raise funds via the local community
-
Jim Boblett (family friend) fundraised to support Finnley and The Gift of Sport. He was a part of the Coast2Coast Ride, and he asked that people donate 1 penny per mile to The Gift of Sport as he attempted to ride coast to coast.
-
Partnered with Sara Blackburn of Sugar Space Wellness to promote "Massage that Matters." Anyone who donated via this fundraising effort would receive a complimentary massage.
-
Funded 3 months each of pre-paid training for Parisi South Jersey to: LEAP Academy boys and girls high school basketball teams, baseball team, softball team, volleyball team, as well training for the East Side High boys basketball team
-
Donated new basketballs and new basketball carts to the LEAP Academy University Charter School boys and girls JV and Varsity basketball teams
-
Spoke at the 2nd annual beneficiary event hosted by The Gift of Sport and Parisi South Jersey
-
Invited to speak about The Gift of Sport at the Haddonfield 65 Club
-
Invited to speak about The Gift of Sport at the Haddonfield Lions Club dinner
-
Established a contact between our optometrist and LEAP Academy. Thorough this connection she and her team were able to provide free eye-screenings to young students at the school.
-
Finnley's fundraising efforts for The Gift of Sport were featured in an article in The Haddonfield Sun
-
Finnley (and the work she has done for Camden youth athletes through The Gift of Sport) was highlighted by 6ABC News Philadelphia's "Be Kind" segment
2023 / 2024:
-
Money Raised: $7300
-
Finnley solicited and secured donations of material goods from stores in local Haddonfield that were then used to help create baskets for a fundraiser on Giving Tuesday (stores: Maxwell James, Meraki Market, Mecha Chocolates, Home on Haddon, etc.)
-
Social media push / fundraising on Giving Tuesday to reach friends and family across the country
-
Secured donations from Deb at HerSport to create a lacrosse giveaway basket. Partnered with Katie Lee of All American AIM lacrosse to promote this fundraiser to the club lacrosse community on Giving Tuesday.
-
Donated shin guards, cleats, goalie gloves, and a new soccer net so the LEAP middle school soccer team could have a successful and safe season
-
Procured over 200 gently used soccer balls from the Haddonfield Soccer Club. Donated these soccer balls to LEAP Academy University Charter School where they were to be used by school programs and coaches, in addition to some being sent home with students for personal use / practice at home.
-
Donated to the LEAP softball team for their spring season: 24 visors, 24 belts, 24 pairs of socks, a new catcher's protective gear set, 12 rolls of bat grip tape, a catcher's mitt, and one dozen fast-pitch softballs
-
Donated to the LEAP baseball team for their spring season: 25 belts, 26 pairs of socks, a first base mitt, 2 catcher's mitts, 2 catcher's protective gear sets, 2 L-screens, 2 wheeled gear bags, 2 buckets of baseballs, and 2 dozen incrediball training balls.
-
Donated 14 sports bras and 2 pairs of cleats to the LEAP Academy University Charter School softball team
2024 / 2025:
-
Money Raised: $7500
-
Finnley solicited and secured donations of material goods and gift cards from stores in local Haddonfield that were then used to help create raffle baskets for a fundraiser on Giving Tuesday (stores: Maxwell James, Meraki Market, Mecha Chocolates, Home on Haddon, Bravado Fashion House, Umile Trattoria, Finished Home, Crimson East Hair Studio).
-
Social media push / fundraising on Giving Tuesday to reach friends and family across the country.
-
Secured donations from Deb at HerSport to create a lacrosse-themed raffle basket. Partnered with Katie Lee of All American AIM lacrosse to promote this fundraiser to the club lacrosse community on Giving Tuesday. (This raffle alone raised $1125 !!!)
-
Donated 10 brand new Tachikara volleyballs to LEAP Academy University Charter School as they started up a girls high school volleyball program.
-
Donated to LEAP Academy University Charter School for use by various school programs, sports, and coaches: 100 gently used pinnies, 125 new t-shirts, 55 pairs of new soccer shorts, and 175 pairs of new soccer socks. The Gift of Sport assisted the Haddonfield Soccer Club in repurposing these items as they cleaned out their clubhouse while transitioning from season to season.
-
Donated to LEAP Academy University for the spring season: a new volleyball net, one dozen rubber practice softballs, one dozen fast pitch softballs, and a softball catcher's kit.
-
Donated to LEAP Academy University softball team for the spring season: 4 brand new softball bats.
-
Donated to UrbanPromise: (8) 48" paddles and (8) 60" paddles for their BoatWorks program and summer paddling program.
-
Donated to UrbanPromise: 15 brand new bike helmets, 20 tire repair kits, and 3 air pumps for their high school cycling elective class / program.
-
Donated to UrbanPromise: $1150 to fund their high school recreational basketball program for the year (registration fee, cost of jerseys, and volunteer coach gift)
-
Donated to LEAP Academy University 10 new pairs of soccer shin guards, 2 pink volleyballs, and a volleyball rebounder
2025 / 2026:
-
Money Raised: $ 2200 (and growing!)
-
Finnley met with church youth leaders to speak about expanding fundraising initiatives through the church community. Both fundraising and volunteering ideas will take place / be put into effect in the first half of 2026. There may be collaborations and involvement with other churches in the local community as well.
-
At Haddonfield Memorial High School (HMHS), Finnley initiated the process to turn The Gift of Sport into an official club. This is a full-year process that included submitting information to the appropriate authorities to even get permission to proceed with her efforts. This has also included recruiting a faculty advisor to oversee the club. In addition, Finnley needed to gather enough signatures of interest within the student body to move forward, which she accomplished. She has since recruited two officers (co-Vice Presidents) to help her run the club. All of this has been done with the intent to continue the efforts of The Gift of Sport once Finnley graduates and heads to college. It has also been done with the intent to broaden the service component of the initiative. As a final step in the process, Finnley presented and pitched The Gift of Sport club to the HMHS student council delegates. Voting took place, and approval for The Gift of Sport to be a pilot club for this school year has been achieved!
-
Finnley and her friends /co-officers went into the local community to talk about The Gift of Sport and to solicit donations of gift cards or gift items to include in a basket to be raffled off on Giving Tuesday. These three girls were able to successfully procure donations valued at over $600 for the raffle basket.
-
Social media push / fundraising on Giving Tuesday to reach friends and family across the country. Donations made by local donors were entered into a drawing for 2 separate gift baskets. The drawing took place on the morning following Giving Tuesday.
-
Between donations on Giving Tuesday and another "push" using a Gift of Sport "donation matching day," over $2200 was raised.
-
This 2025-2026 year is a transition year as the Gift of Sport moves to being a club at the high school. Less money was raised overall on Giving Tuesday, but efforts to broaden the focus of the club on multiple levels (equipment donations, monetary donations, service hours, and other potential avenues) will continue into this new year.
-
The Gift of Sport participated in Winter Fest at HMHS. The members of the club offered baked goods and hot chocolate for donations. They raised $25 at the event! This was the first official act as a pilot club at the high school and was pulled off in a short amount of time.
-
Finnley and additional members of The Gift of Sport wrote and will be hand-delivering "thank you" letters to all local businesses that graciously donated to their Giving Tuesday raffle baskets.
If you are a coach or part of a Camden-based athletic program that has specific material needs, please reach out to let us know exactly how we can help. We are happy to add items to our request page to solicit donations that match your exact needs.
Thank you!