Filming by CCTV.
There’s nothing like sports to level the playing field.
That’s why we started CAMBRIDGE WINS Sports Equity Grants this summer.
“Sports are a release – when you’re playing on the field, you forget your problems for a bit. We see we’re all humans who need to express themselves,” said Frantz Pierre, lifelong Cambridge resident and social worker.
His organization, Cann-I-Strive, is using its WINS grant this Saturday to host “Community Over Competition,” a field day aimed at building bridges and connections in our city. “The goal is to bring the community together through sports so kids and families can get to know our community service professionals, especially police officers, in a different light,” he said.
Another grant recipient also sees sports as the glue in our community.
“We’re trying to bring people from all over – whether you’re from an upper class or live in public housing, it doesn’t matter on the soccer field,” said Cambridge native and Harvard student Anna Betancourt, who co-ran a free, pre-season training this summer for kids who couldn’t afford club soccer. “Sports create a space where youth can put problems aside; where there are no language barriers; where you are just a community of friends.”
Shoutout to all 23 WINS grant recipients for their dedication to creating pathways to opportunity for Cambridge’s young people!
