Mark Roden and Rick Ueable | Valley Business Radio

Subway Kids & Sports of Arizona

2019 marks the 20th anniversary of Subway Kids & Sports of Arizona, a non-profit founded by local Subway franchisees and partners to help at-risk kids in this community gain access to sports, sporting equipment, sporting programs and wellness who might not otherwise be able to afford it. Subway Kids & Sports is unique in that it is 100% locally funded and run via an all-volunteer board. It is, to our knowledge, the only formal Subway-related nonprofit in the country.

Since 1999, the all-volunteer team has focused on a singular goal: to help provide sports equipment, uniforms, registration fees and access to major sporting events to kids who might not otherwise be able to participate. Subway Restaurants of Arizona and their Subway Kids & Sports of Arizona team members support kids in sports because they all believe basic sports skills—teamwork, commitment and accountability—help kids throughout their lives. To date, their work has touched more than 60,000 Arizona kids.

Subway Kids & Sports of Arizona provides assistance to Arizona kids in two ways:

The first is through their Subway Kids & Sports of Arizona Grant program. Each year, they raise funds to donate to amazing nonprofits that are helping kids gain access to health, wellness and sports. They’ve given more than $1 million since our inception!

The second is through the Cycle for Success program. Through this program, local teachers are asked to nominate students performing good deeds both inside and outside of the classroom. Each month, Subway Kids & Sports of Arizona and The Be Kind People Project – in partnership with Dasani, Subway Restaurants of Arizona and Shamrock Farms – ride into several of the classrooms and surprise committee-chosen students with bikes, helmets and locks, as well as Subway lunches for the entire class. The Cycle for Success program has been operating for more than a decade and focuses on increasing children’s self-esteem, encouraging the community to become involved in the lives of at-risk children and promoting random acts of kindness in local schools. Subway Kids & Sports of Arizona and The Be Kind People Project advocate for the health and safety of children, recognize random acts of kindness that may otherwise go unnoticed, and encourage community involvement in the lives of at-risk youth.