Array of pro sports teams kickoff youth benefit initiative in KC
October 18, 2016 | Meghan LeVota
Kansas City is serving as a hub for a national sports initiative that will host a handful of professional teams hoping to help young people around the U.S.
Kicking off Friday, Play for Tomorrow — the brainchild of Kauffman Fellow Pankaj Sood — will feature seven professional sports teams from North America, including the Kansas City Royals.
Expecting to draw hundreds of people from Kansas City, Toronto and Palo Alto, the event will offer local attendees a chance to network with representatives from the Kansas City Royals. Other locations’ participants will interact with those from Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, San Francisco 49ers, San Francisco Giants, San Jose Sharks, Canadian Football League and Toronto Argonauts.
Sood, now director of Toronto-based iBoost, synced up with the Kauffman Foundation and the Palo Alto-based nonprofit StartX to create a multi-city initiative that and aims to leverage the power of sports to create social change in communities. Spanning from Oct. 21 to 23, the event will showcase industry speakers, sport and community panelists with the goal to reshape youth development via emerging technology.
The panels will be located at the Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City will be simulcast to the Toronto and Palo Alto locations, but each city will host their own hackathon.
“Like our foundation’s founder, Ewing Kauffman, we believe that real change happens when everyone is working together to solve a problem,” Kauffman Foundation CEO Wendy Guillies said in a release. “This unique event is designed to bring together entrepreneurs, community members and our youth to create innovative solutions.”
Here are some of the Kansas City events:
- Sports as an Effective Vehicle for Change Panel — Mark Donovan, president of the Kansas City Chiefs, speaks, will be one of many to speak on the importance of sports and education.
- Overview of Community & Youth Development Initiatives including Potential Opportunities — a panel focused on Kansas City specific problems.
- Intro to Design Thinking — a workshop session hosted by the Stanford Centre for Design research.
- Hackathon — participants will be assigned into teams and tackle problems related to urban youth and sports. With prize money on the line, each team will pitch their solution on Sunday.
Featured Business
2016 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Area experts dive into uncertainty and hope for immigrant entrepreneurship
Now more than ever, it’s important for the community to come together to gain new perspectives. That notion was a driving force behind the February Innovation Exchange in which Startland News dove into the subject of immigration and entrepreneurship. Hosted in partnership with Think Big, the event welcomed a researcher and a policy expert from…
Listen: KC immigrant entrepreneurs share their stories
In light of recent news, Startland News focused this month’s Innovation Exchange on the intersection of immigration and entrepreneurship. U.S. immigration policy has a profound impact not only on society but also the nation’s entrepreneurial vibrancy, which prompted a discussion including a researcher and policy expert, a local immigration attorney and pair of immigrant entrepreneurs.…
KC cartoonist captures conversation on immigration and entrepreneurship
Tucked amid a crowd of about 80 people at Think Big Partners Tuesday, Kansas City artist Jasur Rakhimov swiftly sketched a conversation unfolding before him on immigration and entrepreneurship. A cartoon-style artist, Rakhimov stopped by Startland News’ fifth Innovation Exchange that focused on immigration and entrepreneurship to not only share his talents but also to…
MusicSpoke changes the tune of the sheet music industry
No matter your level of musical expertise, it’s no doubt you’ve touched a piece of sheet music — whether at church, in school or just for fun. “Music touches everybody’s lives,” said Jennifer Rosenblatt, co-founder of MusicSpoke. “If you didn’t grow up singing or playing an instrument, you have children who did or nieces and nephews. You…