Sports4Kids founder Arden Parra has been awarded the prestigious Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award.
The award is the highest civilian volunteer award bestowed by the President of the United States and recognizes the lifetime achievement of those who have completed more than 4,000 hours of service.
Parra is a 15-year-old freshman at Francis Parker High School and the founder of Sports4Kids, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to creating brighter futures for local youth facing homelessness.
Sports4Kids is actively involved in making a positive impact in the community through a variety of volunteer activities tailored to kids of all ages. These efforts include feeding the homeless, providing back-to-school backpacks to financially struggling families, and providing care package assistance to homeless individuals. While the organization serves a wide range of community needs, their primary focus is on low-income and homeless youth who lack access to sports opportunities.
Arden has been volunteering since he was 5 years old. His passion for helping the homeless has only grown over the years and is now the driving force behind the non-profit organization Sports4Kids. His journey began with a simple, yet powerful idea: to use sports as a tool to bring joy, build teamwork and develop resilience to children facing difficult circumstances.
Under Arden’s leadership, Sports4Kids has made great strides.
The organization has organized numerous community events and provided sports programs in schools with high homeless student populations. In the past three years, Sports4Kids has raised more than $250,000. With the help of youth volunteers, the organization has positively impacted the lives of more than 7,500 people. Additionally, Sports4Kids has introduced 650 homeless children to team sports and established valuable partnerships with organizations such as the Lucky Duck Foundation, Barnes & Noble, Dick's Sporting Goods, Starbucks, Target, and Youth Service America.
For more information about Arden Pala and Sports4Kids, visit www.sports4.org
