About C4K

Sports provide kids a unique way to strengthen their bodies, minds and characters. In fact, sports may be just the thing that helps change a child’s life by improving their health or giving them a much-needed place to belong. In Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) almost 3/4 of the students qualify for free and reduced lunch. In households where putting food on the table is difficult, purchasing gear to play sports safely can be out of the question. These kids are the largest group of C4K recipients and may never get to play sports without C4K’s help.

According to U.S. Census data and the Ohio Development Agency’s Ohio Poverty Report in 2015, 30.9% of Cincinnatians live in poverty. Nationally, Cincinnati is among the top 15 poorest cities in the country with a population of 250,000 or more compared to a national poverty rate of 15.9%  (and Ohio-wide) of less than 15%. This means that approximately one in three Cincinnatians fall below the poverty line, and our city’s poverty rate is almost twice the national average.

C4K is able to provide this equipment free of charge through community drives and drop-off donation centers where we gather new and used equipment from across the community. Once the gear is collected, hundreds of volunteers then help us sort and clean each piece of equipment so young athletes and coaches can come and “shop” at the C4K store free of charge.