Community Workshops Focus on Preventing Youth Sports Injuries

As a parent, you want to prevent your kids from being hurt playing sports. Now you can.

Athletic TIPS (Towards Injury Prevention in Sports) has teamed up with Global Giving — the largest global crowdfunding site for not-for-profits — to help advance one of its key missions: hosting community workshops across the country to better educate young athletes, their parents and advisers on ways to foster “a safer experience” for everyone playing sports at the kindergarten through college levels.

The workshops focus on:
• Concussions
• Nutrition
• Dehydration and heat-related conditions
• Musculoskeletal injuries

Sports-related injuries have been recognized as a “silent epidemic” among the nation’s youth — accounting for almost 8,000 emergency room visits daily. The recent launch of the nonprofit Athletic TIPS program — supported by everyone from health care professionals to professional athletic directors to retired New York Giants hall-of-fame legend Michael Strahan — was a direct response to those dire numbers.

“GlobalGiving allows us to raise awareness regarding the urgency for appropriate sports-related education,” said Sherry McAllister, DC, executive vice president of the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress, a program sponsor.

The first workshop will take place this fall in San Jose, California. Workshops are also being planned in Dallas, Boston, Atlanta and New Jersey.

Anyone can donate through GlobalGiving.org, though Dr. McAllister particularly encouraged doctors of chiropractic to step up since their extensive expertise makes them part of the solution. As for the workshops, health care professionals, athletes, parents and coaches can request one in their area by visiting TIPS4Sports.org. Athletic TIPS will then work with them on the planning and fundraising, as well as potentially putting them in touch with pro athletes to heighten interest.