Philly mayor unveils plan to invest $3M into youth sports, anti-violence efforts

Violence is down in Philadelphia.

According to police statistics, so far this year, with only a few weeks before its time to move the calendar forward, the city has seen 241 homicides.

That's a significant drop considering there were 385 murders at this point in the year last year.

At this same point of the year in 2022, there were 475 murders in Philly, according to police data.

And now, with what officials called a "historic" investment of $3 million into youth sports programs and antiviolence initiatives, Philadelphia is looking to keep that statistic dropping.

On Monday, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker unveiled this investment and discussed the first in a series of funds intended to support youth sports programs throughout the city to help teams get to their national tournaments, invest in parks and rec facilities and help youth sports programs year-round.

"Philadelphia, we are responsible for ensuring our children are equipped with the tools necessary for success. It is up to us to make sure our children are surrounded by positive mentors, coaches, and leaders that will aid positive development because, as we all know, it takes a village," said Mayor Parker. “That is why I made this $3 million a priority in my One Philly Budget and will continue to make sure these activities are well funded moving forward.”

Parker, who proudly shared that she was "an Oak Lane Wildcat for life," said that often, when local teams win their respective championships and its time to head to national competitions, they find themselves having to find ways to fund the trips.

And, she hopes a new investment of $300,000 will help football and cheerleading teams throughout the city afford travel expenses.

"Every time I see a young person in their uniform, I don't care if it's a drill team, sports team, and they are outside with their helmets or boots or anything, it just gets under my skin," she said. "That's not what our young people should have to do."

The new funding is part of Parker's "One Philly" budget plan and will see funds spread throughout a variety of sports and anti-violence programs citywide.

Along with the $300,000 to help teams get to national tournaments, the investment includes $250,000 in new equipment at parks and rec. centers across the city and $450,000 for the Philadelphia Youth Sports Fund to provide grants to teams and programs year round.

“I want to thank the mayor because when we found out we were going to nationals, I asked myself where we were going to get the money from, and someone said the mayor got something for you,” said Donald Richardson, the executive director of the North Philly Blackhawks in a statement on the investment. “I told myself, we’re going to get there, and the City is seeing that we get there.”

Officials said that funding will support 28 teams from 9 organizations throughout the city, including:

• The Blackhawks Athletic Club, three cheer teams, and six football teams from ages 8-13 years old
• The Oak Lane Lady Wildcats, five cheer teams from ages 8-16 years old
• The Uptown Warriors, four cheer teams from ages 5-16 years-old
• The North Philly Aztecs, four cheer teams from ages 8-16 years-old
• The Frankford Chargers, one football team, and one dance team, both 8 years old
• The Sturgis Hornets, a 7 years-old and under football team
• The City Youth Association Gators, a 14 years-old and under football team
• Germantown Elite, a 6 years-old and under football team
• The Kensington Ravens, a 12-16 years-old cheer team

“This is a little special for me because we have been fundraising and doing this from the muscle for years, without the support,” said Kimberly Jamison, the cheer coordinator for the Oak Lane Lady Wildcats, in a statement. “We are eternally grateful and appreciative of the leadership and vision of Mayor Parker. This grant will help us expand our program, enabling more youth athletes to develop skills, build confidence, and foster teamwork.”

Officials said that the funding is part of a "comprehensive plan to increase youth engagement across the city with special attention on building safe spaces, a sense of community, and access to training, education, resources, and connections."

"This funding is more than just the funding of sports and athletics," said Parks and Rec. Dept. commissioner Susan Slawson, in a statement. "It is an investment in our children — it's about allowing opportunities for life lessons to be learned. To teach our youth about defeat and strength, teamwork, conflict resolution, disappointment, stick-to-itiveness — all lessons of resiliency they will carry for a lifetime."