Hello Slam 2021 Participants,

Words cannot express the gratitude and appreciation I have for each and every one of you. This year we set our slam goal for $250,000 and exceeded that goal by nearly $60,000 for a grand total of $309,114! This is absolutely an incredible victory for the SquashDrive community and wow do I find myself filled with an array of emotions. Thanks to your efforts and your hard work, my first fundraiser at SquashDrive was not only a huge success but a really fun experience!  

It was a blast seeing some of you at the Pickleball event and seeing all of the amazing pictures and videos from all of the challenges. I hope you had fun completing some of these challenges and hopefully they felt meaningful and fulfilling. The challenges were designed to be fun yet intentionally tied to our pillars of success at SquashDrive; Health & Wellness, Education, Character and Service. 

Thank you for being an amazing SquashDrive supporter and I look forward to spending more time with you and our amazing community! Lastly, if you've not had the pleasure of watching the amazing Slam celebration video, I have added it below! Please share and continue to spread the SquashDrive spirit!

Pat Williams

https://vimeo.com/569052280

Congratulations to SquashDrive’s 8th Grade Team! Hannah, Leo, Raul, Yarick, Angel and Kennedy will all enroll in a Bay Area Private High School in the fall. The team worked incredibly hard through the application process and were thrilled upon acceptances to their top schools. Congratulations and welcome to High School, the SquashDrive Team is very proud of you!

Fernanda is a senior at Berkeley High School passionate about immigration reform and biology. During her sophomore year, Fernanda applied and was accepted to Lakhani Scholars, a highly selective scholarship which awarded her $10,000 of private college coaching services over the past three years. With the support of her coaches at Lakhani and SquashDrive, Fernanda applied to QuestBridge. QuestBridge is a college match program for high achieving low-income students. Students rank up to 12 partner universities and if they match they receive a full scholarship without loans for four years. Fernanda was one of 1,464 students who matched through QuestBridge, earning a coveted spot at Rice University in Houston.

“So much time and effort from various parties was put into achieving this outcome. I am extremely grateful to have this opportunity and to have had all the support that I did. I would like to thank my parents for supporting me in any way they could, Hafeez Lakhani for being the best mentor, and Hannah Elbaum for our weekly check ins where she assured me that everything would be okay. I can’t wait to see what the next four years at Rice will teach me!”

We are thrilled to announce that we’ve hired Patrick (Pat) Williams as our new Executive Director! He joins SquashDrive as the first graduate of an urban squash program to lead a SEA organization, and brings valuable first-hand knowledge and experience to our program and community. Stephen Seelbach, Board Chair for SquashDrive, says “After a thorough and comprehensive nation-wide search, we are delighted to be bringing Pat on board to help lead us into our next phase of growth.”

Pat comes to us with over twelve years of squash coaching experience, and has worked in youth development and coaching for fifteen years. He was born and raised in Boston, and participated in SquashBusters, a sister SEA program, from 6th through 12th grades. He was the top student in his class, and is a proud first generation college graduate from Bates College. In addition to being senior class president at Bates, he was a co-captain for the squash team, and a recipient of the NESCAC sportsmanship award. While at Bates, he founded Lewiston Squash, a program for Sudanese and Somali refugees.

Following graduation Pat remained in Maine, and worked as elementary school teacher, as well as a YWCA after school coordinator. After returning to Boston in 2012, he volunteered at SquashBusters while coaching at The University Club of Boston, among other clubs.  After relocating to LA in 2014, Pat earned his Masters in Coaching & Athletic Administration from Concordia University Irvine and spent four years at the YMCA as the Youth Program Director. He successfully grew multiple youth programs and created new programs such as youth & adult boxing classes and basketball leagues.

"Patrick is the embodiment of urban squash success," says Greg Zaff, the Founder and CEO of SquashBusters, the first urban squash program in the US. "He is the reason why I started this program and why I remain so committed to it 25 years later. Patrick is a person of incredible character and competence. It is a proud milestone moment for all of our programs that he is the first alumnus of urban squash to become a director. We all want to see him become wonderfully successful."

Pat is thrilled to be stepping into this new role at SquashDrive. “I have a very strong passion for the sport and youth development." says Williams. "I am a believer in what urban squash programs do for underserved communities, as I am a true example of the success urban squash programs have on young lives.”

“The entire SEA community congratulates Patrick on his appointment," says Tim Wyant, Executive Director of SEA, which has 20 member organizations. "He is a person of integrity with infectious passion for youth development, and we look forward to watching him take SquashDrive to new heights -- building on the rock solid foundation that SquashDrive’s founder Lauren Xaba has so ably laid. As the first SEA graduate and first African-American to become the leader of an SEA program, he is a role model to the thousands of students across our network and an example of the virtuous cycle that our member programs continually strive for -- to pay it forward and give back to one’s community.”

Pat will officially start on November 16th. I’m excited to assist Pat through a period of transition as he steps into this new role. Although I am going to miss seeing many of you regularly due to our move, I look forward to continuing to be very involved with SquashDrive and staying connected to the community. 

Best, 

Lauren

On Monday October 19th we had the pleasure of hitting the links for the first ever SquashDrive Golf Fundraiser.

Our day started early, with the first group heading out at 8am, with other groups teeing off throughout the day, for a total of 62 participants golfing and 1,116 holes played! COVID safety precautions such as plexiglass dividers in the golf carts, social distancing and lots of hand sanitizer made it possible for this event to happen smoothly and safely, and all participants had a fantastic time.

Congratulations to Jack Gruber for winning the Closest to the Pin competition! And, a huge thank you to Green Hills Country Club for being an amazing host, and helping to make this event a success. You can see additional photos from the event here.

We are planning to make this an annual event, so hopefully you’ll be able to join us next time!

This past year, we unfortunately weren't able to host our annual SquashDrive Fundraising Gala in March due to COVID. However, we still have fundraising needs to support our growing student base.  

We are hosting our first ever SquashDrive Golf Fundraiser on Monday, October 19th as a way to bring our community together in a safe, fun and socially distant way. I would love for you to participate if you are able to join!

The day will include an 18-hole round of golf at Green Hills Country Club in Millbrae, a boxed lunch with drinks (alcohol and non-alcohol) included. Small prizes and a raffle as well! 

Please click the link here to make your contribution to Support SquashDrive.

Please fill out this form here: SquashDrive Golf Fundraiser Registration Link

SquashDrive celebrates the class of 2020 and our 2nd ever class of graduating seniors. The class of 2020 has proven to be a group of resilient, adaptable and caring individuals whom are all off to the next chapter of their academic and personal careers.  The class of 2020 is represented by many of the original SquashDrive team members that started in the 4th and 5th grade 10 years ago.  Congratulations to Raji (Hobart), Elijah (Laney College), Naima (Sacramento State), Leslibeth (Contra Costa), Justin (Cal State - Monterey), Alan (US Marines), Shyuan (Cal State-Dominguez Hills) and Jacob (Chatham).

Off to School (Spotlight:  Raji Davenport)

Raji has been a part of SquashDrive since the 4th grade - a member of SquashDrive’s initial cohort. Throughout the years in the program, he has become a great mentor and leader for not only his squashmates but his two younger brothers who are also in the program. Raji graduated from Lick-Wilmerding High School in May and now attends Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York.  Raji arrived on campus in August with his Mom and met SquashDrive’s Executive Director Lauren to help move in and get settled.    

Raji plans to major in Environmental Studies due to his interest in making fresh produce more accessible in his community. He will also be playing college squash on Hobart’s squash team. Raji’s roommate is another player on the Hobart squash team, and he is excited to get to know his other teammates and explore what opportunities his campus has to offer. 

Where has the summer gone? While we know it has not been the usual summer for most of us, we wanted to share what SquashDrive has been up to. Our virtual summer programming has provided lots of activities and community bonding for our students. We are also excited to share a podcast by Mark Cohen of You Are Doing What? featuring Executive Director Lauren Xaba, as well as an update on our search for a new Executive Director. 

Summer Program

SquashDrive continued programming with three weeks of virtual summer camp. The Middle School’s summer program was led by our Middle School Coordinator, Alex, and Squash Coordinator, Daniel. It included online Math, Writing, & Fitness sessions, as well as a Book Club led by our Program Director, Sarah. Our committed volunteers were also engaged and continued individual tutoring sessions for all students who needed it. 

For our High School program, our High School Coordinator, Clovelle, and Director of College Access & Success, Hannah, had two groups participating in our weekly, mandatory themed-writing workshop, completing a independent project and attending an online transitional course (for the rising freshman in high school and college). 

All the participants had a lot of fun, and were able to stay connected to each other, while preparing for the upcoming start of school in a couple of weeks. 

We are also excited to share that Makayla, a rising 11th grader, participated in Squash and Education Alliance (SEA)'s Virtual Citizenship Tour. During the Tour, Makayla had the opportunity to engage with prominent leaders in government, journalism, education, policy, and the nonprofit community. She got to know like-minded students from across the SEA network and learned about ways to become more civically active in her community. To read more about the Tour, visit this link: https://seacitizenshiptour.org/.

SquashDrive Featured in a Podcast

Our Executive Director, Lauren, was recently featured in a podcast called Leveling the Playing Field with Mark Cohen of You Are Doing What?. In it, Lauren talks about how SquashDrive pivoted to keep supporting our students, families and community when COVID-19 and the shelter-in-place order dramatically altered everyone’s lives this past spring. Click here to listen to the podcast and visit Mark’s site, You Are Doing What? for more great content. 

Update on Executive Director Search

We have partnered with Edgility to help us with our search for our next Executive Director. They specialize in helping non-profits such as ours find the best person for the organization. Now we need your help spreading the word. The job posting can be found here - please feel free to share with your networks or to recommend qualified candidates. 

Over the past 10 years, we’ve repeatedly seen how the impact of our program goes beyond the classroom and the squash courts. Students think of SquashDrive as part of their family, because of the caring adults and supporters who look out for them and push them to succeed. With the COVID-19 outbreak, our team has stepped up and adapted in order to continue to provide meaningful services at a time when students and families need our support the most.
 
We wanted to reach out to let you know where we are focusing our efforts and that there continue to be ways for you to get involved virtually (and from at least 6 feet away). 

 Assessing Needs: Our top priority has been to conduct a needs assessment of our students and families. Our staff has connected with every one of our students and families so we can allocate time and resources where they are needed most. Before the shelter in place went into effect, we were able to get a laptop to every family and student that didn’t have one. Comcast is offering 60 days of free WiFi so we have also been able to help get all of our families the internet access needed for supporting their online learning. 
 

Engaging Students: In addition to bi-weekly phone calls to all of our families, our program staff has been creative in finding ways to deliver virtual support. Our staff and volunteers have already provided over 60 hours of virtual academic tutoring over last week. We are also providing three weekly Zoom Fitness calls and have had tremendous participation from our students, family members, volunteers, and community partners. 
 

Providing Resources: We have communicated a host of resources (food/internet access housing, financial assistance) to our families and have created a packet with information and credentials so that students have access to their learning portals. We have also distributed technology so students can have access to e-learning.
 

Collaborating with Partners: We are continually connecting with our national network (SEA), our colleagues from across the country, and the local nonprofit community. We're sharing best practices, learning what others are doing well, and what challenges we have in common. 

Many people have asked how they can help support SquashDrive during the COVID-19 crisis.

Here are three immediate ways you can make an impact:

1. If you haven’t already done it, like our Facebook page, and follow us on Instagram to see all the ways we are supporting our students and their families. 

2. If you have any resources or suggestions for e-learning or fitness inspiration, share them with us! We gratefully welcome your ideas and support. 

3. If you are able, we always welcome donations of any size - donate here.

We will continue to follow the guidance of the San Francisco Department of Health in response to COVID-19; the health and well-being of our staff and students is at the forefront of our minds. The SquashDrive community is strong, resilient and compassionate, and I am confident that together we will be able to weather this storm. 

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In light of the current situation with COVID-19, and San Francisco's state of emergency, SquashDrive leadership and Board have decided that the most prudent response is to postpone our annual Squashdrive Gala until Friday, May 29th, 2020. 

Our main concern is everyone's safety and well-being, and while we were looking forward to celebrating our 10-year anniversary on March 26th, we remain optimistic and excited for the chance to do so on May 29th. 

Covid-19 has not yet affected our ability to provide full services to our children both in the classroom and out, but we are closely monitoring the rapidly developing situation.