Team USA for Tomorrow History
Team USA for Tomorrow Program History
The USOPC launched Team USA for Tomorrow in 2008 in partnership with U.S. Olympians and Paralympians to provide a vehicle through which U.S. athletes can offer their assistance and support to those in need around the world, as well as a means to continue spreading the Olympic and Paralympic values of excellence, friendship and respect. Through this initiative, U.S. athletes offer assistance and support in the form of donations, volunteerism, disaster recovery support, advocacy and other contributions to communities.
2018
In the build-up and after the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, 12 Athlete Ambassadors visited Boys & Girls Clubs, schools and youth clubs in the hometowns and training communities to give back to their communities, inspiring the next generation by sharing their stories, and leading question and answer sessions. Spreading the values of Olympism, the athletes also put their words into actions through sport demonstrations and donations of new sport equipment.
2016
In the lead-up to the 2016 Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games, 13 Athlete Ambassadors visited Boys & Girls Clubs, elementary schools and other youth sports initiatives in their hometowns or training communities to share their stories and spread the Olympic values. The visits included presentations by the athletes sharing their story and discussing of the importance of living an active and healthy lifestyle, an autograph signing session, and a mini-workout or sport-specific instruction. The athletes also donated sports equipment, including hula hoops, basketballs, jump ropes and cones, to the programs they visited.
To learn more about the Team USA athletes who participated in Team USA for Tomorrow activities in 2016, click here.
2014
In the 2014 edition of the Team USA for Tomorrow program, 11 Athlete Ambassadors united with local YMCAs, Boys & Girls Clubs and elementary schools in their hometowns or training communities to share their journey of competing in the Sochi 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. These ambassadors each made two local appearances, assisting with afterschool activities, leading sport clinics and sharing their personal stories with young people to reinforce the importance of making healthy choices a priority from a young age. Following the Sochi Games, an additional 14 U.S. Olympians and Paralympians supported the cause by visiting local clubs.
Participating athletes also made donations to the community groups they visited, including laptop computers, digital cameras, and an exclusive sport equipment package that featured items like sitting scooters, jump ropes, cones, an agility ladder and hurdle set.
To learn more about the Team USA athletes who participated in Team USA for Tomorrow activities in 2014, click here.
2012
In the midst of preparing for and competing in the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, 10 Athlete Ambassadors connected with local YMCAs and Boys & Girls Clubs in their hometowns or training communities. During these visits, athletes donated approximately 40 service hours helping with afterschool activities, leading sport clinics and speaking to young people about the importance of living an active and healthy lifestyle. Ambassadors provided tools to youth that helped bridge the digital divide in academics and social environments by donating more than two dozen digital cameras and laptop computers. Following the London Games, an additional 10 U.S. Olympians and Paralympians supported the cause by visiting local YMCAs, and one athlete participated in a Healthy Kids Day celebration hosted by the YMCA of Greater Long Beach. Altogether, 13 states and 22 communities were impacted by Team USA for Tomorrow efforts.
Additionally, in the weeks following Superstorm Sandy, Team USA for Tomorrow donated 5,000 fleece jackets to Goodwill Industries of Greater New York & Northern New Jersey for people who lost similar items and were in need of warm clothing due to the storm.
To learn more about the Team USA athletes who participated in Team USA for Tomorrow activities in 2012, click here.
2010
The 2010 Team USA for Tomorrow class of Athlete Ambassadors represented all eight winter National Governing Bodies and U.S. Paralympics, and the impact expanded beyond a national level. During the 2009 holiday season, as the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games approached, Athlete Ambassadors visited children's hospitals and schools to encourage young patients to reach for their dreams. Team USA for Tomorrow also empowered each winter NGB to select a deserving institution in its community to receive Team USA-branded digital cameras.
Team USA for Tomorrow also partnered with Habitat for Humanity, completing four builds nationwide following the 2010 Games. With the addition of individual local efforts organized by several 2010 athletes, overall, Team USA athletes donated nearly 400 service hours to Habitat for Humanity during the first six months of 2010.
Beyond outreach in local communities, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic family assisted the Haitian Olympic Committee following the catastrophic earthquake in Port au Prince on Jan. 12, 2010. The assistance totaled nearly $140,000 worth of sporting equipment. Thanks to the support of U.S. National Governing Bodies, the Athletes' Advisory Council, Multi-Sport Organizations, individual Americans and other sporting organizations in the United States, Team USA for Tomorrow donated essential health and wellness items as requested by the HOC, and helped administer psycho-social programs to help children take their mind off the natural disaster by playing sports. The USOPC also worked in conjunction with the HOC, the Pan American Sports Organization, and the Central American and Caribbean Sports Organization to bring hope and inspiration to earthquake-wrecked Haiti through the participation of Haitian athletes in the Central American and Caribbean Games.
In the fall of 2009, the USOPC donated nearly 25,000 items of athletic apparel and equipment to youth in Afghanistan, Guinea, Kenya, Uganda and Zambia on behalf of Team USA for Tomorrow. Donations included items like T-shirts, pants, backpacks and volleyballs.
To learn more about the Team USA athletes who participated in Team USA for Tomorrow activities in 2010, click here.
2008
In its inaugural year, Team USA for Tomorrow aimed to spread the Olympic and Paralympic values in local communities through disaster relief and athlete outreach. On behalf of U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes, the USOPC donated 1,000 relief tents to survivors of the May 12, 2008 earthquake in China’s Sichuan Province that left approximately 5 million people homeless – the Yurt Dome Relief Tents were transported to Chengdu, Sichuan, China, one of the hardest hit areas of the earthquake.
In an effort to assist those in need in the United States, U.S. Olympians and Paralympians donated service hours to Habitat for Humanity after the 2008 Games, supporting local affiliates in their hometown areas by helping to build new homes across the country.
To learn more about the Team USA athletes who participated in Team USA for Tomorrow activities in 2008, click here.
