A reinvigorated effort to ensure all Kids Enjoy Exercise Now throughout the Valley of the Sun is underway— with the help of an all-volunteer corps of coaches and grant dollars from Fiesta Bowl Charities.

“It is important for a society to take care of its most vulnerable because it is the right thing to do,” said Fiesta Bowl Charities Community Relations Director Kristina Chumpol.

“The idea of need is an interesting thing — sometimes you are the one in need and sometimes you are the one who is able to offer support to the person in need. As a community, when we are able to take on the role of offering that support we have to take it.”

KEEN has one mission in mind: To empower youth with disabilities by providing free, non-competitive one-to-one programs of exercise, fitness and fun, led by volunteer coaches.

KEEN Phoenix President Dr. David Spierer contends the vision of the Phoenix-based program is to foster confidence, self-esteem and a sense of belonging for youth with disabilities.

“Kids Enjoy Exercise Now or KEEN is the brainchild of Elliott Portnoy,” Dr. Spierer said. “Elliott was a student in Oxford, England when he launched KEEN as a volunteer opportunity to engage in recreation with kids with disabilities. After his experience in Oxford, Elliott decided to bring the KEEN mission over toThe States. That was 27 years ago. Now KEEN boasts programming in seven markets, from New York to Los Angeles.”

Today, the KEEN Phoenix footprint spans the Valley of the Sun,  holding programs in the West and North Valley, as well as Scottsdale.Dr. Spierer points out that Phoenix is the newest branch of KEEN here in the United States.

“KEEN Phoenix began about 11 years ago and over time has gone through some fits and starts and was well-established at one point,” he said. “But, over the course of time, changes began to take place and the organization had some difficulty maintaining a strong presence.”

But fast forward to 2018 and Dr. Spierer contends a new board has brought a breath of fresh air to local efforts.

“In 2018, the president of the KEEN Phoenix Board of Directors at the time began to build a coalition of like-minded individuals who loved the KEEN mission and vision,” he said. “Now with a new board and an energized core KEEN Phoenix continues to grow.  We continue to raise our level of programming and events and we are serving more special needs families in the Valley than ever before.”

To continue that growth, , Fiesta Bowl Charities provided KEEN Phoenix with a $25,000 grant to help build upon existing services and expansion of the model.

“We are so grateful to the Fiesta Bowl Charities for the generosity that has been shown toward KEEN Phoenix,” Dr. Spierer said. “We are happy to be partnering with the Fiesta Bowl Charities and we expect to see tremendous growth in KEEN Phoenix this year. Dollars are being put to immediate use to grow our programming, special events, and footprint throughout the Valley.”

Specifically, grant monies will go toward the following efforts:

  • Increasing KEEN Phoenix programming footprint and opening a newvenue in 2020;
  • Programming and equipment costs to make sure the children are getting a unique experience;
  • Special events like ”Under the Lights at Cracker Jax”, which is attended by over 130 children; and
  • Serving more families with KEEN programming in the Valley.

For Ms. Chumpol helping those in need — in this case giving all children a place to play and feel a sense of belonging — is that the Fiesta Bowl Charities arm is designed to execute.

“At the Fiesta Bowl it is our goal to enhance the lives of the people that we are impacting through our charitable grants,” she explained.

“For all requests, our committee is strategically looking at how these dollars are going to be able to impact the lives of those who need us most. In youth, sports and education we want to ensure that our funding is moving the needle.”

Taking care of the most vulnerable

Some say a positive mark of any unified nation is how its citizens take care of the nation’s most vulnerable — KEEN and Fiesta Bowl officials agree this idea is a worthwhile measure of quality of life.

“I think we need to take a long hard look at the population we serve and what those vulnerabilities are,” Dr. Spierer said. “Children with disabilities are 38% more likely to be obese than their counterparts. Among some special needs groups, as many as 86% of teens are overweight or obese. Among youth with physical disabilities, 39% report never exercising at all.”

These numbers very directly impact the quality of life of those with disabilities, Dr. Spierer contends.

“Many children with disabilities need modifications to participate in fitness activities, but many do not have access to adaptive equipment or to inclusive recreational classes,” he said.

“All of these statistics lead us to one conclusion: A positive participatory sports model, which is what KEEN offers, vs. the traditional ‘winner and loser’ model is a critical step to improving the fitness and activity levels of children with special needs. We are also aware that special needs families and parents need a break sometimes. KEEN offers the respite that parents and caregivers need.”

But the most vulnerable are not the only ones KEEN serves, Dr. Spierer says.

“KEEN is wonderful for volunteers. Volunteers — some who are aged matched — get to play with the children and see smiles on their faces,” he explained of the special relationship oftentimes forming.

“I have had volunteers of all ages come up to me after a session and thank me for the fun they had that afternoon. KEEN makes the volunteer feel special as they are helping a child in need and they are having fun while doing it.”

Dr. Spierer says more often than not KEEN clients find great value in communal activity like engaging organized sports of the right speed.

“‘My son can’t wait for KEEN over the weekend,’” is something I often hear,” he said.

“I also get thank yous from the parents because they understand that not only is the activity necessary for their children, but it is also valuable respite time given back to them while their child is playing and having fun. It is a win-win!”

Go to keenphoenix.org.