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Emma's Foundation grants Sope Creek Composite Bike Club $4,000 to expand sports in safe spaces

Emma Dickerson • Jun 21, 2021

[Marietta, GA - April 22, 2021] - Emma’s Foundation, a nonprofit with a mission to help those suffering from childhood sexual abuse, has given Sope Creek Adventures, a nonprofit organization supporting five area youth mountain bike teams, a $4,000 bike grant to reduce the bike cost barrier and get more youth outside, on bikes, and finding new ways to build skills and connect with others. 

 

The need to establish both opportunities to participate in organized sports and provide safe spaces for kids to explore, excel and compete with coaches and mentors trained in abuse prevention is on the rise. Unfortunately, sexual abuse is common in youth sports and is peer to peer in about ⅓ of reported cases. Additionally, reports coming out of the National Alliance of Youth Sports, indicate that 70% of young athletes drop out of team sports by age 13. 

 

“This is a solvable problem, and it is critical that we continue to invest in initiatives that provide kids and families the opportunity to safely participate in youth sports,” says Emma Dickerson, Founder and CEO of Emma’s Foundation.” Partnerships like this demonstrate how solvable this issue really is for the community. I chose Sope Creek Adventures for its dedication to abuse prevention, and for the abuse training that all 45 coaches and volunteers receive before they set out to mentor the kids they serve.”

 

“The $4,000 grant will allow the program to purchase new mountain bikes which will provide access for participation to potential athletes who may lack the means to afford their own bike and help others when or if their bike is broken,” says Christie Hunt, a Sope Creek Adventures volunteer board member. We are very grateful for the ability to share our core values of inclusivity, equality, strong body, strong mind, and strong character with even more kids this coming season. This grant will help make the sport of mountain biking (which can be rather expensive) more accessible to those who can’t afford it!”

 

The teams supported by Sope Creek Adventures have over 100 kids and 45 volunteers participating in both middle and high school teams from Pope, Walton, and Riverwood High School districts; plus two Sope Creek Composite teams comprised of kids from various schools in North Atlanta, Sandy Springs, and East Cobb. More on joining the team can be found at: sopecreekmtb.squarespace.com.

 

About Emma’s Foundation

Emma’s Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2021 with a mission dedicated to helping children, families and communities reach their full potential by providing tools to overcome sexual trauma and abuse. Through advocacy, empowerment, education and inspiration, Emma’s Foundation helps people maximize their potential. 

 

More can be found at emmas-foundation.org

 

Media Contacts: 

Emma Dickerson, CEO Emma’s Foundation emma@emmas-foundation.org.


By Emma Dickerson 21 Jun, 2021
Nearly 700,000 children are abused in the U.S each year. Emma’s Foundation Inc. is committed to Advocate, Empower, Educate and Inspire Childhood Abuse Survivors. For that reason, we are proud to help you achieve your goal of going to an accredited College or Trade School in Georgia, USA by easing the financial burden of secondary education with our “Emma’s Childhood Abuse Survivor Scholarship”, worth $2,500. Ten scholarship, totaling $25,000, are rewarded each year. An estimated 678,000 children (unique incidents) were victims of abuse and neglect in 2018, the most recent year for which there is national data. Georgia ranks 38th in the nation for child well-being and has over 100000 abuse & neglect reports made to child protective services annually. We know that that the problem of child abuse is much larger than federal statistics show. Childhood abuse can have irreversible impact that can last a lifetime. In addition to the long term physical, mental, and emotional distress, the survivor may suffer from a negative impact to the more practical side of their lives, such as the ability to pursue a secondary education. This is primarily because the abuse often happens within the family of origin or at the hands of primary care-givers. If you have been affected by childhood abuse or any type of trauma, you know the devastating effects it can have. You may have had to change your entire lifestyle to adapt to the new emotional and sometimes practical challenges you face. Yet, adapt to these challenges you do. Because, you are more than a victim; you are a survivor. Scholarship Deadline: December 31, 2021 for 2022 Enrollment - APPLY Eligibility: You must be currently enrolled or have been accepted into an accredited College, Trade School, or University by the Spring semester. You must have a minimum 2.8 GPA. You must submit a transcript (unofficial will suffice), along with a completed application and an essay or audio/video based on one of the topics below. Essay or Audio/Video Topics: Please choose ONE of the topics below and write a 500 – 1,000 word essay OR create an audio recording/video: In what ways has childhood abuse affected you and your life and how are you working to overcome this? How have you or would you like to bring awareness to the devastating effects of childhood abuse. Tell us about an organization or someone you know in your community that has positively impacted you in your healing journey in overcoming childhood abuse. What actions should the government and/or private citizens take to prevent others from being abused/traumatized in the way you have? How to Apply: To apply for Emma’s Childhood Abuse Survivor Scholarship, please complete our online application and attach your completed 500 – 1,000 word essay or audio recording/video and your transcript. (Unofficial transcript will suffice.) Terms and Conditions: Scholarship open to all students attending school in Georgia, United States. Applicant must be a student at an accredited trade school or college or be accepted to begin school at an accredited trade school or college within 6 months of application. All funds will be dispersed to scholarship recipient’s school by the end of January for the Spring Semester. Scholarship winner is determined solely by our selection committee. All decisions of the selection committee are final. PRIVACY STATEMENT: We will not sell, share, or distribute the information you submit with your scholarship application to any third parties. The information you submit will be confidential and will be used only for determining the scholarship recipient and deleted after the selection period. NON-DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT: The winner of the Emma’s Childhood Abuse Survivor Scholarship will be determined by a selection committee set up by Emma’s Foundation, Inc. Said selection will in no way be influenced by gender, race, national origin, sexual preference or any criteria other than the meeting of the application requirements and our committee’s evaluation of the essay/audio or video attached with the application.
By Emma Dickerson 21 Jun, 2021
Emma's Foundation will give 15 campers a week at Camp Phoenix through $6,000 Summer Camp Grant.
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