Ravi Meyersohn and Nelson Normil play flag football by Anoke Deitg-Blanchard
In Cambridge, solutions often start close to home. Cambridge WINS sports equity sponsorships began with neighbors who saw a need for more equitable access to youth sports and built a partnership to meet it. With CCF's support, the program has grown over four years to back more than 40 programs, including 10 this summer that reached 1,500 kids across the city.
WINS began in 2022 when Cambridge residents Matt Meyersohn and Joe Bradlee partnered with CCF to support the coaches already giving their time to youth sports. The vision behind WINS is simple but powerful: sports are more than games. They are a way to strengthen relationships, build confidence, create joy, and foster spaces where every young person belongs. The program's inspiration came from Nelson Mandela's belief that "sports have the power to change the world."
On Friday, August 15, CCF joined with neighbors at Sennott Park to celebrate the fourth season of Cambridge WINS with an end-of-summer gathering. Kids and families came together to play a variety of sports in the community, enjoy food from CCF Imagined in Cambridge Award winner Manny Mervil of Everybody Gotta Eat, share free ice cream, and dance to music. As Reece Freeman, founder of Resilience Sports Foundation and CRLS Girls Varsity Basketball Coach, reflected, "When you bring people together like this, those relationships flourish into support. You see it on the court, but you also see it in schools, in parks, around the city."
The program's reach continues to expand thanks to broad community leadership. "We are all thrilled to see Cambridge WINS continuing to thrive in year four," said co-founder Joe Bradlee. "We were happy to welcome new support from community institutions such as Buckingham Browne & Nichols School this summer, and we are also grateful to this year's expanded advisory committee who helped us provide support to programs across the city."
The end-of-summer event captured what WINS is all about. As WINS co-founder and executive director of Cambridge Basketball Lab Matt Meyersohn put it, "WINS let us meet families where they are in the summer and support the volunteer coaches and programs that create safe, positive opportunities for kids. This year's event was about ending the summer together, with kids playing different sports side by side, music and food in the park, and a chance to enjoy being in community."
Together, Cambridge WINS partners supported 10 local programs this summer, offering opportunities for children and teens to participate in soccer, basketball, baseball, orienteering, and more. In just four years, nearly $50,000 has been directed to youth sports summer programs—proof that small
Joe Bradlee throws ball to 4-year old Ryan Patton by Anoke Deitg-Blanchard
timely investments can help coaches create joy and belonging for thousands of our city’s children.
Cambridge WINS is community-led philanthropy in practice. Neighbors identify the need, local leaders drive the solutions, and CCF helps connect resources. Together, we build equity, belonging, and the relationships that allow kids and families to flourish across Cambridge.
This year’s WINS sponsorships supported:
- Cambridge Bay State
- Cambridge Babe Ruth
- Cambridge Baseball East
- Cambridge Basketball Lab
- Maria L. Baldwin Community Center
- Navigation Games
- Resilience Sports Foundation
- S-Cube Diplomacy
- Scholar Before Athlete
- Swim Freedom
Thank you to our WINS Advisory Committee members Joe Bradlee, Matt Meyersohn, Ty Bellitti, David Kale, Anthony Gallucio, Geo Rodriguez, Maggie Pimlott, Kathleen Skelton, Oderra Jones, Adam Corbeil, Nick Ross, and Phil Johnson for their leadership and guidance.
