Hundreds of Items Donated to Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area
Following the conclusion of the first X Games Austin, ESPN donated hundreds of action-sports items to Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area. The inaugural X Games Austin event was held at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, from Thursday, June 5 through Sunday, June 8.
The donated items include 28 bikes, 36 skateboards, 127 helmets, 200 Chico reusable bags, 100 sets of wrist, elbow, and knee pads/guards and over 200 greeting cards written by fans that attended the weekend-long festivities. The items will be distributed to Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area as part of the “Youth Earn-A-Bike” program through the Youth Bike Shop.
Additionally, Boys & Girls Club East in Austin will be receiving a KaBOOM! Imagination Playground from ESPN and The Walt Disney Company. KaBOOM! is a non-profit organization that helps communities build playgrounds for children. ESPN employees at the Longhorn Network regularly volunteer at Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area and have previously donated toys and backpacks to local youth.
“The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area serves youth that need us the most. We greatly appreciate the support from ESPN and the X Games Austin team. This support allows to provide opportunities to our kids that they would not have had otherwise,” said Erica Gallardo Taft, Senior Director of Program Services, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area.
Added Kevin Martinez, ESPN vice president, global corporate outreach: “Giving back has always been a signature component of our X Games franchise. From donating hundreds of action-sports items and a KaBoom! Playground to Austin youth to showcasing nine local nonprofits at the festival village, Team ESPN and X Games Austin demonstrated our commitment to making a real difference in the local Austin community.”
Additional local nonprofits represented at X Games Austin included The V Foundation for Cancer Research, Boarding for Breast Cancer (B4BC), Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM), Special Olympics, KaBoom!, Make-a-Wish Foundation, National Recreation & Park Association, W.C. Akins H.S. – F1 in Schools and Mack, Jack & McConaughey (MJ&M).
About Team ESPN
Team ESPN, the corporate citizenship program of ESPN, encompasses ESPN’s multi-faceted community initiatives, including employee volunteerism, charitable giving and cause marketing, while also utilizing its diverse media assets. Through Team ESPN, ESPN employees and fans join together to make a difference in the communities where we live, work and play.
