Screen to Sport

AMBERLYNN PAPPAS understands the importance of community for youth athletes. Growing up, she and her brother received support from a close-knit network that helped them compete in a variety of sports. Today, Pappas is offering that same goodwill as the events and fundraising coordinator for the Game Changers Foundation, a nonprofit providing financial assistance to middle and high school athletes seeking physical therapy and sports performance training.  

“Growing up, we had a great community of people who were looking out for my family, so that makes this type of foundation more near and dear to my heart,” she says. “Our family friend was a shoe buyer for a local shoe store; whenever he would get sample shoes, he’d get them in our size. In our triathlon community, the race directors would tell my parents, ‘If you can’t afford the entry fee this time, they can race for free.’ People in our community would offer to drive us to the races if my parents had to work.” 

In this full-circle moment, Pappas says she can now be that person for the next generation of athletes, helping them see the possibilities of what they can achieve. In its third year, the Game Changers Foundation began through Change the Game Performance Therapy, where Pappas works as the strength and endurance coach and operations manager.  

At Change the Game, student-athletes were coming in for services and either did not have insurance or could not work with a cash-based model. Alongside Change the Game owner and founder, RYAN GODFREY, and his wife, SARA, they decided to create a nonprofit that would allow families to pay on a sliding fee scale or qualify for total funding. Game Changers Foundation serves families in New Hanover, Brunswick, and Pender counties, with nine athletes completing the program since its inception. 

“We’ve had athletes that have trained with us and went on to compete at higher levels, and some kids that started at the beginning of middle school – middle school sports here are really competitive – and they were able to make it onto those teams when they weren’t sure about that in the past,” Pappas says. “We also have a sports performance side of our clinic. Anyone who qualifies for the nonprofit can use their funding for either side so they can better themselves towards their athletic goals.”  

The Game Changers Foundation also provides athletic gear to local youth sports leagues, recreation programs, and schools. This includes its annual Holiday Sports Equipment Drive where a wishlist is submitted to the foundation. For past drives, it has partnered with New Hanover High School, North Brunswick High School, and Trask High School, donating items for their athletic programs. From small necessities like water bottles and score cards to larger items like equipment bags, this is the second tier through which the foundation provides for young athletes. The third tier, which they hope to accomplish soon, would include a small college scholarship for a Game Changers athlete who has completed the program through their senior year.  

At the beginning of the summer, the foundation was contacted by the wardrobe department from The Summer I Turned Pretty movie. After filming had wrapped, the crew had over 200 athletic items from the set, and the foundation accepted the full donation. They first put the word out to local schools and sports teams, then decided to bid off the remaining items through Auction for a Purpose, an online fundraising auction running until September 20.  

“People can have a piece of movie history. If they’re fans, they can own something that could possibly be featured in the film. Some of the items still have tags on them; they were on set at some point,” says Pappas. “The auction funds will go into the foundation for continuing support of our youth athletes. We have two athletes training with us this fall, and it will support their care, and we’re open to having more athletes apply to use that funding.” 

After the foundation received the full donation, Pappas worked with Change the Game interns to sort, catalog, and photograph all of the items. Over the course of two months, they set up the auction website. The foundation chose Better World as the online host for the auction, which also gave access to a wide range of auction packages, including a six-day Amalfi Coast vacation, a golf getaway to St. Andrews in Scotland, or a private, virtual cooking class hosted by a Top Chef.  

Film items available include jerseys, knee pads, tennis shoes, Crocs, visors, polos, sports bras, yoga gear, and more. From fans of the series to those wanting to help out, options are available, including open, anonymous applications for athletes and families for current items, or a donation button separate from the auction to help support a student-athlete.  

Click here for the online auction site.

To view more of photographer Aris Harding’s work, go to arisharding.com.

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