Scholarship 2023-2024 Winner - Kaitlyn Harrington

As a multi-sport athlete, Kaitlyn had always strived to be an example of sportsmanship on and off the field, exemplified as a winner of the Horsham Soccer team's Shooting Star sportsmanship award. More importantly, though, her sportsmanship focuses on providing disadvantaged kids with a level playing field when it comes to playing sports. Today, only about 38 percent of kids ages 6-12 play organized team sports, down from 45 percent in 2008, according to The Sports & Fitness Industry Association. At the same time, the average American family spends an incredible $700 per year on their child's sports activities, according to Project Play. Further research shows that approximately 75 percent of participating 12-year-olds drop youth sports annually due to high expenses. Simply put, increasing costs are excluding too many kids from experiencing the valuable benefits of playing sports.

To help address this growing issue, Kaitlyn started 'Play It Forward' (fb.com/PlayItForwardGear) in 2018, collecting donated sports equipment across soccer, baseball, softball, lacrosse and field hockey. The program provides kids in surrounding communities free gear to experience the benefits of playing sports. Over the past six years, Play It Forward has collected over 7,600 donated equipment items, equipping over 720 kids from ten surrounding communities with free gear.

Although Kaitlyn's efforts with 'Play It Forward' have been honored with the President George H.W. Bush Point of Light Award, the National Liberty Museum Young Hero Medal, the Union League of Philadelphia Good Citsenship Award, a United States Congressional commendation, and a Pennsylvania Legislative citation for service leadership, the true validation for Kaitlyn is seeing the smiles of the kids when they receive their gear.

Play It Forward helps delivers the powerful benefits of sports to kids who otherwise would miss out on the essential experience of being on a team. To her, simply helping young athletes have the opportunity to play the games they love to experience the benefits of sports while building their comfort and confidence is the ultimate form of sportsmanship.