Impact
What access actually changes.
The case for funding athletics is bigger than sports — and we hold ourselves accountable to it.
The need
The national need for after-school programs
24.6 million
children nationwide would be enrolled in an after-school program if one were available to them — while 7.7 million remain alone and unsupervised after school. Cost and access are the most common barriers families report.
Source: Afterschool Alliance, America After 3PM national study.
Our reporting
We measure what we fund
Over several years serving the Denver metro, COAF has helped hundreds of local families get in the game. We report our impact plainly and update it each season. Here's what we track:
300+
families supported across our programs
3
programs funded — volleyball, basketball, adult fitness
Multiple
seasons serving Aurora & the Denver metro
Athletes supported
The number of youth and adult athletes who received scholarships, funded fees, or gear each season — across all three programs.
Dollars to access
Total funding directed to scholarships, program access, and equipment, reported alongside our operating costs.
Participation growth
Season-over-season growth in program participation — our mission's own definition of success.
Why athletics
Sport is infrastructure for young lives
For kids and teens
Structured after-school athletics give young people supervision, mentorship, physical health, and a team that expects them to show up. Research consistently links after-school program participation to better attendance, behavior, and engagement at school — and the hours after the last bell are exactly when unsupervised kids face the most risk.
For adults and communities
Adult access to fitness and athletics builds healthier populations and stronger neighborhoods — particularly in communities where cost has historically kept gyms and leagues out of reach. When adults play, kids see what staying active for life looks like.
In their words
Families we've helped
A few of the people behind the numbers.
COAF covered my daughter's club volleyball fees the season I lost my job. She never knew we couldn't afford it — she just got to keep playing.
Marisol R.Parent · Aurora
Basketball gave my son a team and a reason to keep his grades up. We could never have paid for it on our own.
James T.Parent · Denver
The community fitness program is the first place I've ever felt welcome at a gym. It was built for people like me.
Adaeze O.Community Fitness participant
I applied in five minutes and someone actually called me back. That never happens. My kids are playing because of it.
Crystal M.Parent · Aurora
Help us grow these numbers.
Every gift becomes an athlete we can report on next season.