Jamestown PROMISE Fund advisory board president John Zabrodsky, left, and JPS athletic director Ben Drake with just some of the many items donated by the community for their recent Athletic Equipment Drive. Submitted photo

The Jamestown PROMISE Fund recently held an Athletic Equipment Drive to great success. The local community donated hundreds of balls, bats, athletic shoes, baseball mitts, helmets, ice skates and other essential athletic equipment over the three-week drive to benefit Jamestown students.

“The JPS PROMISE Fund Athletic Equipment Drive was very successful,” said John Zabrodsky, Jamestown PROMISE Fund advisory board president. “Besides collecting all sorts of balls, bats and other requested items over 100 pairs of gym shoes, spikes and cleats were collected. This is enables more students to participate in a sport or free play. On behalf of the JPS PROMISE Fund, a huge THANK YOU to the greater Jamestown community for its generosity on this initiative! We look forward to our Athletic Equipment Drive in 2020.”

JPS staff will distribute the equipment to students who have expressed interest in a particular sport, to help in team development and any other district athletic needs. The focus is to distribute at elementary and middle schools. With this collection, the Jamestown PROMISE Fund is aiming to encourage playtime with the equipment and free play during the summer months in the parks and green spaces in Jamestown.

“I appreciate those who supported the PROMISE Fund athletic equipment drive,” said JPS athletic director Ben Drake. “We had many items donated, including dozens of shoes and spikes, balls, bats and other equipment that will be distributed to young athletes in need. Thank you to the community who got behind this initiative!”

JPS PROMISE Fund was founded in 2016 as a charitable, non-endowment fund via the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation. Its mission is to expand the financial capacity of JPS through private, tax-deductible fund-raising activities. The purpose is to enhance the educational programs, projects, and opportunities for the JPS District. In addition to the recent Athletic Drive, the Jamestown Schools PROMISE Fund has already helped create and fund a summer literacy program in Jamestown and held a musical instrument drive.