Past Events

Miles 4 Smiles 5K

10/27/23, Kalamazoo

The first sports event held by LYS in the Miles 4 Smiles Campaign.

11/23-1/24, Kalamazoo

Collected nearly 500 pieces of sports equipment and held distribution days for Portage Public Schools families

Sports Day in Uganda

Kalamazoo Region Equipment Drive

02/10/24, Luwero, Uganda

An international event held in collaboration with Every Child Deserves a Change for over 500 kids.

2nd Annual Miles 4 Smiles 5K

10/20/24, Kalamazoo

Hosted 70 people to raise money for 2025 LYS projects and raise awareness about youth sports inequities.

Lawrence Elementary School Sports Kits

12/16/24, Lawrence

Created over sixty take-home sports kits for all Lawrence Elementary School 4th and 5th grade students.

2nd Annual Sports Equipment Drive

11/24-1/25, Kalamazoo

Collected nearly 300 pieces of sports equipment and held two distribution events for Kalamazoo Area families.

YMCA May Sports Clinic

YMCA April Sports Clinic

05/09/25, Portage

Volunteers guided local student-athletes through various sports and drills.

04/19/25, Kalamazoo

Volunteers hosted different sport-specific stations for young athletes.

60 Seconds of Summer Social Media Challenge

7/1-8/30, Virtual

Encouraged youth sports participation through social media engagement.

Next Level Sports Center Discovery Program

LYS volunteers hosted free multi-sport clinics at Next Level Sports Center on Mondays and Wednesdays this summer for elementary-aged kids!

Bubble Run & Multi-Sport Clinic

09/06/25, Schoolcraft

Hosted free event with Next Level Sports Center for 30 kids to run outdoors and receive sports instruction.

3rd Annual Miles 4 Smiles 5K

10/11/25

Hosted 40 participants in Celery Flats to raise money and awareness about LYS projects.

Grand Rapids Branch Sports Equipment Drive

Our Grand Rapids Branch distributed 40 pieces of sports equipment they collected around their community to 30 community members.

Partnership with Portage Location of Raising Cane's

The new location of Raising Cane's in Portage has partnered with Leaders for Youth Sports, donating $1,000 to our mission and programming.