Evanston High School Hosts Kuumba Evanston Olympic Games Fundraiser
The Kuumba Evanston Olympic Games is an initiative that aims to encourage students’ love for sports, teamwork, and personal growth. On Saturday and Sunday, the first annual fundraiser carnival will be held at Evanston Township High School. During the carnival, students will have the opportunity to participate in various Olympic sports.
Over 250 elementary school students from Evanston in grades 3rd through 5th will take part in 16 different sports such as track and field, basketball, soccer, badminton, and wrestling. The proceeds from the annual fundraiser will go towards Kuumba Evanston, a 501(c)3 organization that serves families of color in Evanston who have been marginalized by systemic racism.
The goal of the carnival is to encourage kids to try all 16 sports available before committing to competitions in June. Chris Livatino, the athletic director at ETHS and chairperson of the Kuumba Evanston Olympic Games Committee, emphasized the importance of making sports fun and competitive by breaking them down into manageable pieces. The committee aims to make sports accessible to all participants, especially those who have faced systemic barriers that prevented them from accessing sports earlier in life.
The event is free for all attendees, and parents or guardians interested in learning more can visit www.kuumbaevanston.org/olympics.