WBZ Cares: Good Sports Helps Boston Area Children Be Active

BOSTON (CBS) - Each month, WBZ Cares highlights a worthy non-profit organization, and tells the story of what that organization does for the community.

This month's organization, "Good Sports," a Quincy-based organization that gives all kids the lifelong benefits of sports and physical activity by providing sporting equipment to those most in need.

Since its inception in 2003, two local groups in Boston have benefited from the program.

For decades, Greg Davis has run a basketball league in Roxbury called Metro-Boston Alive, it helps teach kids the sport, along with life skills, too. Davis says the help they get from Good Sports has been essential.

"The value on those equipment that they give us is far more than the kind of money I would have gotten. I mean it exceeds five thousand, ten thousand, fifteen thousand," he said.

Davis says without the help they get from Good Sports, they wouldn't be able to operate.

"Good sports has been my largest supporter in terms of my equipment and supplies. I don't know what I would have done without them."

Brian Buckley is the athletic coordinator at TechBoston Academy, a pilot school in Dorchester for grades 6 through 12. He says many of the kids can't afford to buy sports equipment.

These kids really have a tough time. The money that they have is very limited. And they have to watch how they spend it and they don't have the money to go out there and get a baseball glove, a pair of sneakers or football cleats or soccer cleats. They don't have the money for that." Buckley said.

And that's where Good Sports comes in, so every kid can be properly equipped. Buckley says it helps raise self-esteem.

"It makes them feel like they can compete with other kids. So they are not going to get looked down upon," Buckley said.

For more information about Good Sports, visit: goodsports.org or the WBZ Cares section on the CBSBoston.com website during the month of April.