WellesleyWeston Magazine

SUMMER 2017

Launched in 2005, WellesleyWeston Magazine is a quarterly publication tailored to Wellesley and Weston residents and edited to enrich the experience of living in two of Massachusetts' most desirable communities.

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Why is this happening? One reason is that our schools and organiza- tions face budget cuts, and, as a result, eliminate programs or pass the costs on to families. Parents have to cut back on extracurricular activi- ties, with disadvantaged children being excluded in particular. Thankfully, Wellesley resident Kirsten Hano, a former Williams College field hockey and ice hockey player, and Boston resident and entrepreneur Geoffrey Hyatt, were motivated to take on the challenge and help solve the problem by starting a nonprofit company called Good Sports that provides donated sporting equipment to under- privileged kids. "We had just moved to Wellesley from the Chicago area in 2002, and hosted a party," says Hano. "I saw Geoff playing with my son. We talked about how important physical activity is to kids' development but that many kids don't have access to sports. By the end of the night, I agreed to do something about it." Hano joined Hyatt and four friends who were mutual acquain- tances: Wilbur Swan, Kaki Martin, Melissa Harper, and Christy Keswick. Each had a full-time job but committed to monthly meetings in Hyatt's Beacon Hill apartment. "We figured out that manufacturers want to give equipment away, but it's not simple for them to identify and coordinate with hundreds of community youth programs," notes Hyatt. "We discussed how to structure our organization as the facilitator of these matches, and how to make that happen," says Hano. Their team decided on a name — Good Sports — and a logo, and agreed on their mission: to give all kids the lifelong benefits of sport and physical activity by providing new equipment, apparel, and footwear to those most in need, regardless of ability to pay. Good Sports' first big donation came in 2003 from Spalding, based in Western Massachusetts. Because the company has extra, unsold equipment at the end of the year, Good Sports was granted 500 basket- balls and gave them to nonprofit organizations throughout Greater Boston like the Boston Housing Authority — which still receives equip- ment through Good Sports today. K I M I A E M A M I ( R I G H T ) 154 W e l l e s l e y W e s t o n M a g a z i n e | s u m m e r 2 0 1 7 good works "many kids don't have access to sports"

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