Youth Challenge

05/28/2026

Join us on June 13th for Where Will Color Take You? 5K and 1-Mile Walk and Roll! This event at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo has three races: a 5K race, a 1-Mile Walk & Roll, and a Kids' Dash.

After the races, you can stay for the celebration! We'll have post-race refreshments, a DJ, photobooth games, and more. Thank you, Sherwin-Williams Women's Club, for taking the lead in organizing this event to benefit Youth Challenge!

Register at: https://lnkd.in/eRnGNyYF

05/28/2026

WE NEED YOUR HELP!
YC has hundreds of teen volunteers, adult volunteers, parents, and friends. WE NEED AT LEAST 40 MORE VOLUNTEERS!

Can you give 1 or 2 sessions on one day?
Maybe one sessions a day for the week?
Maybe you want to be a superhero and join us for an entire day, or a few days, or a whole week.
Maybe your company or team would like to commit to a day of service!

Through adaptive sport, art, & recreation, we unite young people with physical disabilities & teen volunteers in meaningful & fun opportunities. We are a spark for creating strong communities, promoting life-long growth, & driving advocacy forward.

05/28/2026

05/27/2026

PARTICIPANT OF THE MONTH

This May, we’d like the highlight one of our most involved participants here at YC, ALINA. She signs up for nearly every sport we offer all year round! This past spring, she attended basketball, soccer, kickball, court sports, race training, fishing, and archery! She loves the competition! She also came to our 50 Acts of Kindness and Techy Trends programs to help us celebrate our 50th year.

We are super excited to see Alina shine at the upcoming Sweaty Yeti race where she will be participating in the 5k. She has been training with YC for weeks at our race training programs!

Alina is just as involved during our summer programs. She will be coming to soccer, sports & swim, museum explorers, back to the future, treetop adventures, backyard games, and our end of summer BASH! Alina is a light at any program and her laugh will always brighten your day. She loves hanging out and chatting with our staff members and is very driven to improve her athletic abilities. We can’t wait to see her make a return to YC this summer!

{Image 1: Alina warms up her shooting skills at our basketball showdown.}

{Image 2: Alina trains for the Sweaty Yeti race using one of our stationary bikes at YC.}

{Image 3: One of our staff members helps Alina with her form during an archery program.}

{Image 4: Alina zooms around the field with a volunteer, laughing and trying to collect pinnies during a court sports game.}

05/27/2026

Today, we would like to thank our Golden Jubilee SILVER SPONSORS!

-Reese Consumer Health
-Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities
-The Coticchia Family
-Total Benefits Advisors-Mark & Lisa Breen
-Mike's Kids
-Nordson Corporation
-Community West Foundation

We appreciate having such generous organizations and families in our corner!

05/26/2026

Help YC as we gear up for the summer! Shop our Amazon Wishlist for snacks, recreation supplies, art supplies, books, and more for YC! Thank you for supporting our mission!

SHOP HERE
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3AS9LLAVPSHWL...
https:/com/hz/wishlist/ls/3AS9LLAVPSHWL...d

[ID: Lilly, Sophia and Rose in the pool.]

05/22/2026

During the Alumni Fitness program, the participants and adult volunteers took a break from their usual exercise routine to add another ACT of KINDNESS for YC 50th celebration. The on going acts will continue throughout 2026. Onesies will be donated to a local NICU. #13

05/22/2026

We'd like to thank more of our Golden Jubilee GOLDEN SPONSORS!

-Sherwin-Williams
-The Dvoroznak Family
-The Thomas Family

We appreciate your generosity in helping create opportunities for young people with disabilities and their teen volunteers!

[ID: YC pictures with sponsor logos overlaid.]

05/22/2026

Join us on June 13th at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo for a 5K run and 1-Mile Walk & Roll benefiting Youth Challenge sports, recreation, and social growth programs for young people with physical disabilities and teen volunteers!

If you sign up before May 29th you will receive this year’s race T-shirt! Head to YouthChallengeSports.com/Run to register.

05/21/2026

If you were around YC in the 00’s and 2010’s, this week’s Alumni Spotlight is no stranger! She and her 2 siblings practically lived at YC and had a second family among our participants and volunteers. Today, she remains good friends with many of the people she met through YC and we are so thankful to still have her involved as a Young Professional, donor and friend. Let’s give a big YC WOO to KRISTEN (HORD) COSTANZO!

Following in the footsteps of her sister, Liz, and brother, Kyle, Kristen first joined the volunteer team in 2004. She gave over an impressive 950 total hours of service during her tenure and was a staple at MANY programs, including sports & swim, dance & drama, parties and MORE. Kristen was among our Top 10 volunteers for hours served for 4 years in a row, was a student intern on our Board of Trustees, and was named the “Most Treasured Volunteer” by the Center for Community Solutions in 2009. Kristen was a stellar volunteer who we could always count on for ANYTHING at programs. She was an incredible role model who led by example and a caring friend to participants and volunteers alike.

Today, Kristen is married to her husband, Patrick, and has two young girls. She works as a 7th grade Intervention Specialist at Strongsville Middle School. She recently received her Master’s Degree in Integrated Curriculum and also runs her own custom sugar cookie business!

We’re so grateful for Kristen’s commitment to YC and look forward to her daughters one day joining our volunteer team, too. We hope to see Kristen and her family at the Summer’s End Bash and Reunion in August…and YOU, TOO!

Mark your calendars and don’t forget to register on our website!