2026 Richard & Anne Kruse Leadership Award

2026 Leadership Coaching Award

“I had a blast making connections with each and every individual that took part of the ECP program. The best part about the experience was seeing the interpersonal relationships between the players, coaches, and families develop and eventually flourish. Sunday practices quickly became my favorite time of the week, and our program quickly became a community.”

2025 Richard & Anne Kruse Leadership Award

2025 Richard & Anne Kruse Leadership Award

“I served as the 2024-2025 Program Coordinator for Every Child Plays, where I strengthened program operations by establishing volunteer training and family outreach systems. I helped found a new branch location and also co-authored a research poster examining the impact of team sports on social communication in children with autism spectrum disorder. In recognition of my leadership and service, I received the 2025 Richard & Anne Kruse Leadership Award.”

2025 Richard & Anne Kruse Leadership Award

“Being a leader for Every Child Plays was one of the most valuable experiences I had as a college student. During my time at UCSD, I had the privilege of working in different roles as ECP grew from its infancy into the organization that it is today. As a program coordinator, I organized research with our physician leads. As a family coordinator, I contacted families about program involvement. And most importantly, I worked directly with our amazing athletes as they learned to dribble, pass, and play together on a team. I discovered that for as much as I fostered confidence in our players, they fostered my confidence in myself. Ultimately, the kids of ECP had as much of a positive impact on me as I had on them, and I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have been involved in a program like Every Child Plays.”

2025 Leadership Award for Best High School Coach

“Every Child Plays is a program that has given back everything I’ve put into it and more. I began in the spring of 2024 after being introduced to the program by Dr. Achar’s son, Ravi, whom I ran cross country with at the time. The practices weren’t fully refined and the program was still growing when I arrived, but the environment was one that I unmistakably wanted to be a part of because of my fellow coaches, the amazing kids, and the overarching mission to ignite growth and friendship with the power of sports. In my time at ECP, I’ve steadily helped develop and run practices, working on making them more consistent and dynamic to ensure that the kids both had a blast and grew their skills with every practice. I’m extremely honored to be named Best High School Coach, an honor that will only inspire me to keep building this incredible program moving forward.”

2023 Founding Leadership Award