The Kuumba Evanston Olympic Games, an initiative that fosters students’ love for sports, teamwork and personal growth, will host its first annual fundraiser carnival from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday and 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday at Evanston Township High School, 1600 Dodge Ave.
Students will get to participate in a variety of Olympic sports.
More than 250 elementary school students from Evanston – from 3rd through 5th grades – will have an opportunity to participate in 16 different Olympic sports at this year’s carnival, including track and field, basketball, soccer, badminton and wrestling. The proceeds for the annual fundraiser will go to Kuumba Evanston, a non-profit organization meant to serve families of color in Evanston that have been marginalized by systemic racism.
During the carnival, students will have 30 seconds to complete challenges related to each of the 16 sports available before making a final sports commitment for competitions in June.
“The number one goal of the carnival is to try to get kids to test and try every single sport there,” said Chris Livatino, ETHS athletic director and chairperson of the Kuumba Evanston Olympic Games Committee.
Livatino said another goal is to make sports fun and competitive by “breaking it down into little bite-sized pieces.”
Accessibility, Livatino added, is also important for the young participants.
“We are trying to break down some of the systemic barriers that have kept our students and children of color from accessing sports earlier on in their lives,” Livatino said. “That is kind of the heart of the games.”
The event is free. Parents and guardians who want to learn more can visit www.kuumbaevanston.org/olympics.
Kuumba Evanston to host sports carnival for grade school students is from Evanston RoundTable, Evanston's most trusted source for unbiased, in-depth journalism.