Champions Committed to KIDS, a nonprofit dedicated to children fighting serious illnesses, launched its Denver chapter last week with the help of the DU Division of Athletics and Recreation.
The Children’s Hospital and Cascade Financial are also helping the nonprofit.
The organization provides children ages 5 to 18 with the opportunity to be paired with a sports team, ranging from high school to professional athletic programs.
“We are excited to be opening our new chapter in Denver,” said Jeff Collins, president and executive director. “Our goal is to turn this into a national program. We are looking forward to changing these KIDS’ lives in the Denver area.”
As a sponsor, DU is offering spots to three children on its dance, cheerleading and gymnastics teams and hopes to expand the program further in the future.
“We thought it would be very appropriate for DU to be involved with an organization like this,” said Paul Pogge, assistant athletic director. “We take our involvement in the community very seriously. We try to do the right thing. This is a great way for student athletes to get involved with the community and make a positive impact on the kids they interact with.”
After being paired with a team, each child will become a full part of the program, according to head gymnastics coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart. She envisions the child as an “honorary coach,” attending some of the practices, traveling to competitions and participating in team huddles.
“We’re really excited to be participating,” said Kutcher-Rinehart. “We’ve done several community service projects before. We helped with Race for the Cure and the 9 News 9Cares Colorado Shares Food Drive. We even visited the Children’s Hospital and helped set up the gift shop.”
Champions Committed to KIDS is based out of Springfield, Mo. The Denver chapter is its first expansion to improve the lives of more children and their families.
Pogge attributed a large part of DU’s involvement with Champions Committed to KIDS to Peg Bradley-Doppes, Vice Chancellor for Athletics and Recreation at DU.
“One of Peg’s primary points of emphasis in her leadership of DU athletics is doing things the right way. She always stresses the importance of complying with university and NCAA rules, making sure student athletes succeed academically and advancing the university’s mission as a private institution dedicated to the public good. Our involvement with Champions Committed to KIDS is just one important element of her overarching philosophy. Her encouragement for us to get involved with programs like this really reflects just how special of a leader she is for our university.”
According to Pogge, Kutcher-Rinehart was one of the first coaches he talked to about partnering with Champions Committed to KIDS. She jumped at the opportunity to get involved.
“It’s really special to have that one-on-one with a child who isn’t able to participate in athletics because of their condition,” said Kutcher-Rinehart. “We can provide an opportunity for them to connect with an athlete, to feel that team atmosphere. It’s very special not just for them, but for us, as well.”
The Children’s Hospital is currently in the process of pairing specific children with each of DU’s participating athletic programs. Kutcher-Rinehart said the gymnastics team’s KID will likely join the team prior to the beginning of their season in January.
“Our team philosophy is to build a championship tradition based on a foundation of teamwork, character and excellence,” said Kutcher-Rinehart. “This is so very important in the character aspect, that we continue to give back. It makes the athletes appreciate how lucky they are to have the ability to use their bodies in this way.”
