Basketball sneakers, swimming suits, running shoes, shin guards and football and soccer cleats. Those are examples of the variety of athletic gear that Portland Public Schools students have received, thanks to the Ed Feeney Athletics Fund. So far, more than 180 high school and middle school students have benefited from the fund, which was created last year to allow any interested PPS students to participate in school sports – even if their family is unable to purchase the necessary athletic equipment.

Anonymous donors gave the Foundation for Portland Public Schools (FPPS) a $50,000 matching donation to launch the fund, named after retired Portland High School girls basketball coach Ed Feeney. After one year, the fund has purchased gear for football, basketball, soccer, lacrosse and tennis players, golfers, swimmers, skiers, and track and field athletes and is on track to serve even more.

“We are so grateful for the donation that launched this fund and the response from our community that has expanded it,” said FPPS Executive Director Andrea Weisman Summers. “The number of students it has benefited so far shows how great the need is. Without this fund, many students would not be able to participate in sports, missing out on the tremendous benefits they provide. Beyond physical fitness, school sports can foster friendships, strengthen self-esteem, help improve grades, and build community. This fund provides equity of opportunity for all PPS students, helps build stronger sports teams in Portland, and honors Coach Feeney.”

From 1979 to 2007, Feeney coached the Portland High School Girls Basketball team, taking them to 11 Western Maine Championships and 3 Gold Ball State Titles. With more than 400 career victories, he was inducted into the Maine Basketball Hall of Fame, the New England Basketball Hall of Fame, and the Maine Sports Hall of Fame.

One thing always troubled him—the students who couldn’t attend practice, didn’t try out, or left teams because they didn’t have the right gear. Once, when a student showed up for a game in sneakers full of holes, Ed gave him the shoes he was wearing and drove home in his socks.

Today, school budgets can only cover basics like uniforms and helmets. Portland’s high schools have hundreds of talented and enthusiastic athletes without the resources to participate. Many of these students don't even try out because they lack the cleats, athletic socks, or other gear needed for practice. Now, when Portland Public Schools coaches, teachers, or school social workers learn of a student who lacks such basic athletic gear to play sports, the Foundation can purchase that gear for students.

To date, 181 students have benefited at every secondary school in the district. A roughly equal number of boys and girls have received the following gear to enable them to play the sports listed:

●      Basketball (sneakers, basketballs, and travel gear)

●      Cross country (running shoes)

●      Downhill skiing (scholarships for new skiers to take 4 lessons and have gear rental with Lincoln and Deering ski clubs)

●      Field hockey (mouthguards, shin guards, goggles, stick, socks)

●      Football (cleats, gloves)

●      Golf (clubs)

●      Lacrosse (sticks, cleats)

●      Nordic skiing (skate and classic skis, boots, and poles)

●      Soccer (cleats, shin guards, warm up shirts)

●      Swimming (bathing suits, burkinis, goggles, swim caps and pool rental for Maine Community Swimming to provide water safety and swim lessons to immigrant teens)

●      Tennis (racquets, shoes)

●      Track & field (spikes, running shoes)

“I’ve seen the Ed Feeney Athletics Fund truly make a difference to many students over the past year,” said Michael Daly, Deering High School athletic director. “Sports provide so much to positively impact the lives of our students and now – thanks to this fund – more students can benefit from a sports experience.”

The Foundation is accepting further donations to the Ed Feeney Athletics Fund to be able to assist even more students.

For more information, contact: Andrea Weisman Summers, Executive Director, Foundation for Portland Public Schools, 207-400-1151 | asummers@foundationforpps.org

The Portland Public Schools is Maine’s largest school district, with nearly 6,600 students, and it’s also the most diverse. About one-third of the district’s students come from homes where languages other than English are spoken—a total of 59 languages. Approximately 47 percent of the district’s students are white and 53 percent are students of color. More than half of all PPS students are economically disadvantaged.