Date: June 24, 2010
Contact: Beth Wenger, (301) 461-2278
Kids Enjoy Exercise Now (KEEN Greater DC) Chosen
for 2010-11 Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington
KEEN (Kids Enjoy Exercise Now) Greater DC announces prestigious honor received from the Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington. KEEN Greater DC will be featured in the 2010-11 Catalogue, which will be delivered to 20,000 individuals and hundreds of family foundations in November. A panel of 90 expert reviewers from area foundations, corporate giving programs, larger non-profit organizations, and the DC government evaluated nearly 240 applications; Kids Enjoy Exercise Now (KEEN Greater DC) is one of 68 outstanding nonprofits to be featured in the 2010-11 Catalogue.
KEEN Greater DC began 18 years ago with a simple idea: pair trained volunteer coaches with young people with disabilities and let them discover what they can do. With this idea, KEEN has grown to provide 18 programs throughout Greater Washington, DC, to more than 280 area young people with disabilities, free of charge, thanks to thousands of volunteers. By serving the hardest to serve young people in our population--those with severe and profound disabilities, including autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, and other complicated disabilities, KEEN provides opportunity to those who are often left out of community sports and recreational activities. At KEEN, young people with disabilities are matched one-on-one (or two-on-one) with trained volunteers, who now number more than 10,000, to experience basketball, play tennis, enjoy activities in an indoor pool, play soccer, bowl, and just have fun. Kids gain skills, confidence, and self-esteem, and adult volunteers gain a whole new perspective on life: they become committed to the full inclusion of people with disabilities. With long waiting lists of children eager to participate in its programs, KEEN has set its goals on more growth, including further expansion of its new Northern Virginia program offerings, which launched in March, as well as expansion of its Washington, D.C., program offerings. With continued and increased generosity and support from the community, KEEN Greater DC will continue opening doors to everyone who wants to play.
In addition to the printed Catalogue listing, KEEN Greater DC will also be featured on the Catalogue’s new website (cfp-dc.org), which launches on November 16th. The website will include a gift registry and gift cards, a section especially for kids, and even a “donate now/decide later” fund that lets donors give in December and make their choices in January. New links on nonprofit profile pages connect donors with volunteer opportunities, events, news, videos, and more. The new Catalogue website is the broadest and deepest regional philanthropy website in the country. “Charities were selected for excellence, cost-effectiveness, and impact," says Barbara Harman, president and editor of the Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington, regarding those selected for this year’s Catalogue and website. “These are certainly among the best community-based nonprofits in the Washington region.”
“KEEN Greater DC is grateful to be included in such an impressive listing and to the possibility of reaching those who will join our cause and support KEEN in bettering the lives of Greater Washington, DC’s, most special young people,” says Beata Okulska, KEEN’s executive director.
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