DICK'S Sporting Goods And The DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation Celebrate Girls In Sport By Providing 15,000 Gifts Of Sports Equipment To Youth Athletes On 8-City Tour

PITTSBURGH, June 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation Sports Matter Giving Truck is hitting the road again for a third tour around the country, this time working exclusively with girls' sports programs in under-resourced communities.

Professional female athletes Sabrina Ionescu, Sam Mewis, Elena Delle Donne, Swin Cash Arike Ogunbowale, and Amy Rodriguez will help The DICK'S Foundation provide 15,000 gifts of sports equipment and surprise kids at select stops along the Giving Truck route. The Giving Truck will travel to eight cities across the U.S.— Boston, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Kansas City, and Knoxville —throughout the month of July.

In Kansas City, the Giving Truck will make a stop at the unveiling of a newly installed mini-pitch, as part of The DICK'S Foundation's presenting partnership with the U.S. Soccer Foundation's United for Girls initiative. The partnership includes a three-year, $5 million grant that will be used to create 15 mini-pitches in underserved communities and double the number of girls impacted by the Foundation's soccer programs. Five mini-pitches were installed in 2020, with an additional five planned for 2021.

Research shows that by the age of 14, girls quit sports at two times the rate of boys.¹
By gifting sports equipment, The DICK'S Foundation aims to remove the financial burden from families to keep young female athletes playing the sports they love.

"It is crucial that we embrace the power of women and girls in sports, both as a company and as a foundation," said Aimee Watters, Executive Director of The DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation. "Especially as we turn a corner on the pandemic, we are thrilled to see girls returning to the sports they love this summer. We are also especially excited to increase the number of gifts we are distributing, as it's so important to provide as many kids as we can with the equipment they need to keep playing."

The Giving Truck first hit the road in December 2020 giving 10,000 gifts of sports equipment to youth sports organizations in under-resourced communities and completed its second tour in March 2021 providing 10,000 pieces of equipment to youth baseball and softball athletes. The Giving Truck has provided 20,000 gifts throughout 16 cities in the U.S. to-date.

Artwork on the truck includes graphic imagery with the signature bold, bright colors by artist Megan Lewis (@URBANHIPSTA) and will also feature video messages from each of the professional athletes, accessible by scanning the QR codes within the truck's artwork.

The DICK'S Foundation pre-selected a number of athletes from girls' sports organizations to distribute gifts to from the Giving Truck in the eight cities it's visiting. Foundation Partner Good Sports has prepacked bags for each individual child at these organizations, ensuring each young athlete has their own equipment to safely enjoy their favorite sports. Included in each bag is a DSG Brand sports bra as part of The DICK'S Foundation's previously announced commitment to donate 100,000 sports bras to youth athletes in under-resourced communities. The sports bra is considered a critical piece of equipment for women and one that often goes unprovided.

Since 2014, DICK'S and The DICK'S Foundation have committed over $145 million to support young athletes through its Sports Matter initiative. Sports Matter raises awareness for the youth sports funding crisis as the fight to save youth sports continues across the U.S.

For more information on how your team can apply for funding or to donate to Sports Matter, please visit SportsMatter.org.

¹Sabo, D. and Veliz, P. (2008). Go Out and Play: Youth Sports in America. East Meadow, NY: Women Sports Foundation

About DICK'S Sporting Goods, Inc. 
Founded in 1948, DICK'S Sporting Goods is a leading omni-channel sporting goods retailer offering an extensive assortment of authentic, high-quality sports equipment, apparel, footwear and accessories. As of May 1, 2021, the Company operated 730 DICK'S Sporting Goods locations across the United States, serving and inspiring athletes and outdoor enthusiasts to achieve their personal best through a combination of its dedicated teammates, in-store services and unique specialty shop-in-shops dedicated to Team Sports, Athletic Apparel, Golf, Outdoor, Fitness and Footwear.

Headquartered in Pittsburgh, DICK'S also owns and operates Golf Galaxy and Field & Stream specialty stores, as well as GameChanger, a youth sports mobile app for scheduling, communications, live scorekeeping and video streaming. DICK'S offers its products through a dynamic eCommerce platform that is integrated with its store network and provides athletes with the convenience and expertise of a 24-hour storefront. For more information, visit the Investor Relations page at dicks.com.

About The DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation
The DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation is a tax exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation with a mission to inspire and enable sports participation. It was created by DICK'S Sporting Goods, Inc. as a private corporate foundation to support DICK'S charitable and philanthropic activities

Contact: DICK'S Sporting Goods and The DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation – [email protected]

Category: Company

SOURCE DICK'S Sporting Goods

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