From the moment Laila Armstrong was born, she was destined to get in the game.
"My dad played Division 1 football, my mom played Division 1 basketball," says Armstrong, a rising freshman at Vista PEAK Preparatory in Aurora. "It's just always been a family thing."
Lindsey Armstrong, Laila's mom, understands the importance of sports in a young person's life.
"Playing sports is what gave us the skills of goal setting, of finding out within ourselves that we can do hard things," says Lindsey. "So we decided it was best to have all of our children [play sports]."
All six of the Armstrong kids are involved in sports, which admittedly creates a little chaos—but they couldn't imagine life any other way.
"It would be so boring and sad," says Laila about a life without sports.
Unfortunately, for too many kids in Colorado, that sad and boring life is their reality.
“What we know is that one in three kids in Colorado is unable to participate in sport due to the costs associated with it," says Vickie Puchi, executive director for Chance Sports.
Founded in 2022, Chance Sports is a nonprofit organization that helps cover the annual cost of play for children through scholarships. They'll support any kid ages eight to 19 with financial need who wants to play any sport in Colorado, so long as they earn a spot on a team.
“Chance Sports has been able to fund over a million dollars in scholarships to over 800 athletes in Colorado in just over two years," says Puchi. “What this funding does for athletes is it provides them the opportunity to grow and dream and be the best that they can be.”
Puchi and her team work hard raising money to support their cause, but with so many kids struggling with access, they needed help to reach further into our community.
That's why Project Play Colorado and the Daniels Fund are stepping up to help build that bridge.
In 2024, they launched Colorado Youth Sports Giving Day, a collaborative effort with hundreds of nonprofit organizations dedicated to raising awareness and funds for youth sports programs across the state.
The program runs for two weeks, from Sept. 3 through Sept. 17.
Last year’s inaugural event was a game-changer, raising an incredible $3.7 million for 175 nonprofits dedicated to empowering kids ages 18 and younger to experience the joy and benefits of sports.
This year, thanks to a groundswell of grassroots financial support statewide, the Daniels Fund announced an additional $500,000 donation to the Youth Sports Giving Day incentive fund, which will increase the impact of contributions. This additional investment brings the total matching funds contributed by sponsors to more than $2 million.
Since the two-week funding campaign was launched, nearly 2,600 grassroots donors have contributed over $2.6 million to support youth sports groups across Colorado, with the goal of making sports more accessible and affordable.
"I'm just grateful," says Lindsey Armstrong. "I'm just grateful someone thought to do that, that someone thought how we think, [that they believe] sports are a critical part of growth and development for kids. We can't say thank you enough."
The Armstrongs talk the talk and walk the walk - in addition to supporting their own six children playing sports, they've reached out into their community to financially support several other kids in their athletic endeavors.
"When we see kids going through hard stuff, or they need those extra role models in their lives, if we can [step up] then we're willing to do it," says Armstrong. “It’s one of those things that just pulls at your heart. It’s important for all kids to be involved in sports. It’s for their safety, it’s for their growth and development, and if they’re not involved in sports, it can be dangerous. If they’re not involved in the greater community, it’s not a good thing.”
Donations continue rolling in for Colorado Youth Sports Giving Day. If you'd like to get involved, click here.
Every dollar donated goes to a kid like Laila, who's hoping to live out their dream on a basketball court, soccer pitch, or driving range.
“Everyone should be able to get to play sports," says Laila Armstrong. "It gives people a sense of belonging, collaboration, and always feeling like they belong somewhere.”
“For me, what’s exciting is whenever I see a donation come in, I think of a kid in my mind who I know is out there playing because of that," says Puchi.
Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.
