Keeping Kids in the Game:
Help the Victory Academy Bulldogs Keep Playing This Year!

For Victory Academy students, a sports program was never a given. Many of them face complex educational, mental health, and behavioral challenges, and most had never played an organized sport before OLV Human Services launched the Bulldogs in 2023. Today they compete as a full member of the local Independent Athletic Conference, and student-athletes are coming to school more and earning fewer discipline referrals.

In August, a main funding stream that covered coaching, transportation, and league fees was not renewed. Without new support, this fall's basketball season and next spring's track season are both at risk.

- 73+ students have participated in athletics at Victory Academy since 2023
- 100% of those who have taken part have IEPs for educational, mental health, and/or behavioral challenges.
- $25,000 runs a full season of basketball and track

One sophomore hoped to try out at his home district, but the buses couldn't get him to practice. With the Bulldogs, he found coaches who saw him every week, parents cheering from the stands, and a uniform he's proud to wear.

"Character-building activities like these are critical to the growth of teens with severe emotional and behavioral challenges." — Michael Gunthrop, Principal, Victory Academy