About  The Founder

          Hello, I’m Gary Crutchfield founder of Crutchfield Charities and the Youth Sports Scholarship Program founded in 2007.  I’m a college student, a Little League coach, and an umpire.  My job as a Little League coach is to have patience, tolerance, and time because kids have attention spans that are sometimes measured in milliseconds.  But my true goal as Little League coach and as a non-profit owner of Crutchfield Charities is to advance the well-being of disadvantaged youth by giving them the same opportunity as their peers and introducing them to positive life experiences through sports.  If at the end of the day or practice, I can see a child smile and laugh that without Crutchfield Charities wouldn’t have had the opportunity I know I’ve done my job.

Community Need 

        Clark County is growing in many ways but unfortunately there is also a growing need for financial assistance to low income families trying to make ends meet. Crutchfield Charities uses the same nationally recognized DHS income guidelines that the school systems use for the free/reduced lunch program to establish initial eligibility for a Youth Sports Scholarship Program.  For example, a family of three making $16,090 per year or less will qualify.  A fact that is even more overwhelming is that the childhood obesity rate for Arkansas is a staggering 38%. Participating in sports is more that just a game; it is a way of life.     

      Along with financial need, children need the opportunity to develop physically, socially and emotionally as well.  Recreation activities provide a safe and supportive environment for children and youth to explore their strengths, develop skills and test their limits. Children's self esteem is nurtured by the mastery of age-appropriate skills and the achievement of reasonable goals.  This mastery contributes to the development of a resilient child.  This means that a physically active child, regardless of circumstance, is more likely to thrive.

       High self-esteem, which can be developed by participation in sport and recreation, can lead to a higher level of motivation and can buffer young people against adverse influences such as substance abuse and delinquent behavior.  Physical activity and recreation provides youth with the opportunity to develop leadership skills that as adults, are put to use by participating as coaches and team leaders in our community.  Once children fall behind in their "recreational" skill development in most cases because of financial reasons, they are less likely to pursue sports and arts programs at school because they cannot keep up with their peers, they do not make the teams, and their self-esteem suffers.  Another consequence is that these children have time on their hands - time they may use getting into trouble