Restore Enfield School Sports: Support 279 Kids

Help Restore School Sports for 17 Teams in One Connecticut Town

"These are trying times in the kind of mid-sized American town--Enfield, Conn. (pop.: 42,000)--we're all familiar with. The loss of some federal and state funding forced a $9-million cut to the Enfield Public Schools budget for the 2024-'25 academic year. One of the casualties of the cuts: all 17 middle-school and freshman boys and girls sports teams.

This means 279 kids who need the kind of vital after-school activities for minds and bodies will go without the coaching and teaching and physical fitness those sports provide this year.

We're determined to raise the $100,000 it would take to return the sports to sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth grades for Enfield students in the 2025-'26 school year.

The Enfield Public Schools serve a changing student group in a changing country. Twenty years ago, 16 percent of the Enfield students came from families at or below the poverty level. This year, a startling 52 percent of kids in the school system will be at or below the poverty level.

So many teens at such a major disadvantage. So sad.

For these 279 students, the importance of sports today takes on more importance than ever. Kids are buried in their phones. The hangover from Covid has made teens more isolated. All school systems are struggling for funding, and there are other major needs as well. But we think the benefits of sports to nearly 300 students for a full school year is worth fighting for. Please join our fight."