didomenico-katieWEST VIRGINIA
Katie DiDomenico ’10
Founder/chair, Youth Sports Connection

Katie DiDomenico (M.S.W. ’10) has been playing sports nearly her entire life. As an adult, she helps kids across the country follow her lead.

DiDomenico founded Youth Sports Connection, a nonprofit that helps families pay for equipment and other fees required to play sports.

“Asking a family to pay $40 for their child to play basketball, for example, is often times cost prohibitive,” she says. “In searching for programs available to help with the cost for participation, I found there wasn’t much available for these families.”

The majority of DiDomenico’s career has been spent helping others. Her idea to start Youth Sports Connection came while working at a children’s hospital in Aurora, Colo. She has also worked as a foster care case manager in Florida and a clinical social worker for people undergoing dialysis.

Many of those skills, she says, came from her UMKC education.

“The M.S.W. program at UMKC introduced me to people, programs and organizations that I would not have otherwise experienced,” she says. “The program is unique in that it is more urban than others in the area and caters to non-traditional students.”

DiDomenico says playing sports has made her into the person she is today. Now she’s trying to give that gift to the children who need it most.

“Sports have given me confidence, leadership skills, taught me teamwork, coping skills and the importance of physical fitness,” she says. “I continue to coach softball today and hope to inspire the next generation to get in the game.”

 

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