Guest Speaker Cory Stangle, Executive Director of AZ 4 Kids

Posted by Jesus R Hernandez
Guest Speaker Cory Stangle, Executive Director of AZ 4 Kids
 
 
Our Club was honored to host Cory Stangle the Executive Director and Founding Member of AZ 4 Kids.  
 
Their mission is to provide educational, social and healing opportunities for Arizona's distressed and at-risk youth through sports and recreational activities that provide discipline, exercise, and self-discovery.  They do this through sponsoring youth and paying for their sports fees to help keep them engaged and give them continuity. Their research found that sports inherently provide many tools to heal the scars that childhood trauma can leave behind. 
 
Sports help at-risk youth in the following ways. 
  1. Well-Being
    1. Mental & Physical exercise have been shown to be one of the best forms of treatment for depression, anxiety and overall wellness. 
  2. Confidence
    1. Confidence is empowering! The process of self-discovery in learning a skill paves the way for confidence when an individual is outside of their comfort zone. 
  3. Reduce Anxiety
    1. Traumatized youth can have an overactive amygdala or be stuck in fight or flight mode.  Reducing anxiety is step 1 in overcoming trauma. 
  4. Mentorship
    1. Sports provide not only coaches as role models but peers as well. These role models can provide a positive example to model after. 
They work with youth across Arizona and are hoping to sponsor 600 youth by the end of the year.  If you're interested in learning more, check out their website at az4kids.org. 
 
Our Club has many great speakers coming up and several opportunities to get involved in our community and help make it better for everyone.  Join us!