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How can you help Beyond the Ball?

There are many ways to support our mission:

Dollars

Gym space is costly. So are the materials we purchase for our programs. We would be grateful for your support. Checks can be made out to "Beyond the Ball" and sent to:

Beyond the Ball
P.O. Box 23089
Chicago, IL 60623

Items

You probably have something to give that appeals to youth between the ages of 5 and 24. Tickets to events, like Bulls games; a summer home that we could use for a leadership retreat; or sports equipment and apparel. Send us an e-mail at btb@beyondtheball.org to let us know.

Networking

Who do you know that enjoys sports, working with youth, or has a passion to see everyone get an opportunity to succeed in life? Let them know about Beyond the Ball. We can probably use their help!

Storage Space

Our programs involve quite a bit of equipment, which needs to be stored when not in use. If you have storage space we can use, let us know!

Time

While we stress neighborhood involvement, we occasionally have events that need additional help! If you are interested in serving with us, send an e-mail to btb@beyondtheball.org. Not only do we offer you a chance to serve, you have an opportunity to learn from the people in our community.

Beyond the Ball Girls

Beyond the Ball recognizes that girls and young women are often left to sit on the sidelines, while the young men get attention through sports. Girls are not only a part of all of our programs, we have a specific program just for them.

Find out more about Beyond the Ball Girls.

media

Beyond the Ball has been the subject of specialty magazines, touted by funders, and featured on public radio. We also create some media of our own to document and show highlights of our events. You can find a variety of media via the links below.

The Chicago Sun-Times recently ran the story of the gang-banger who threatened the lives of our founders, but has now come full circle and has his daughter in Beyond the Ball Programs

"The Latin Kings in Little Village wanted to kill Robert and Amy Castañeda. Thugs ruling the corner of 30th and Drake twice tried to burn down their house — soaking the porch with gasoline and setting it ablaze while the young couple slept inside — because Rob had called the police after a shooting and showed investigators where gang-bangers had stashed the gun."

Read the entire Chicago Sun-Times piece here. It tells the story of how one man and his gang-bangers' murderous threats actually set in motion the creation of Beyond the Ball. A decade later and now out of jail, that man hopes for a better future for his children, and believes one way that will happen is by involving them in Beyond the Ball. An amazing story.

More recently, Beyond the Ball was mentioned on the by Claude Johnson, speaking about the history of the Black Fives basketball team, on the Brian Lehrer show. Give it a listen here.