Giving sports to
communities around the world
while opening hearts and
minds in our own.
FAQs
How much does the average trip cost?
The trips vary in price according to location and season. The single biggest cost is airfare, which is often more expensive during the peak travel seasons. Here's a rough estimate on prices: Latin America- $1500-$1700, SE Asia- $1600-$2000, Africa- $2700-$3000.
The price includes all costs while traveling, including airfare, food, lodging, transportation in-country, water, cultural activities and trip insurance. The only costs not included are passports, immunizations, and spending money while on the trip.
Can I fundraise for the trips?
Courts for Kids is an officially registered IRS public charity under tax-code 501(c)(3). All donations to Courts for Kids are tax-deductible. Fundraising is strongly encouraged, as often times friends and family members are very eager to support participants. The most effective way of fundraising is sending out support letters. Other options work, as well, but we encourage people to start with the letters. People who send support will receive a tax-donation receipt in the mail.
Most trips are designed for sophomores in high school and older. Freshmen and younger are allowed to participate, but only if an adult comes who is solely responsible for them.
Is there an incentive for an adult bringing students?
On some trips, adults will receive money towards their trip costs for every three students they bring. Check with the trip leader to find out if this applies for the one you're interested in.
The normal procedure is to hire a local construction company and to work alongside them. This helps stimulate the local economy, but also is very helpful considering building procedures are different depending on materials available, climate, etc. We primarily will use 'primitive' methods, using hand-mixers for the concrete, and sometimes wells for the water. We have also built hot-mix asphalt courts, as well. The type of court depends on materials available.
What is involved with a typical trip?
Normally, the first few days are spent working long hours. As you can see from the answer above, each court requires quite a bit of manual labor, and this is our team's specialty! While the court is drying, we take part in other cultural activities, where we seek to learn more about the culture and appreciate the people and the natural beauty. Finally, on the last day, we usually have an opening day ceremony on the court. The team will also have time each day to debrief together. Lodging and food vary by location, but we normally try to stay as close as possible to the community we are working in...and we try to eat as much of the local food as possible!
Normally courts are sponsored by a business, foundation or individual. This is an area we are always looking for help with. If we are planning a specific trip for your group, there is often an opportunity for matching funds, where Courts for Kids matches what your group raises as it applies to the court costs. Check to see if this is available for your trip.
What if I raise more money than the trip costs?
There are several options if you do raise additional money for your trip. You are not able to receive the money back, since we are a non-profit organization and the donations are tax-deductible and must go towards furthering our exempt purposes. However, you may be reimbursed for passport and immunization costs. Or, you can choose to use the extra money to go towards the court costs, athletic equipment for the project, or to help out someone else who is coming who is having a harder time. The final option is the money can be stored for a future project with Courts for Kids. You must take another trip within 2 years, though, if you choose this option.
What are the safety concerns for traveling?
Safety is one of our most important concerns for each trip. We do our best to take all precautions necessary to ensure that everyone comes home safely. The biggest asset we have is our local community who is hosting us. Since we are so connected to a community, and are not random tourists, we are very carefully looked after. Also, most incidents in traveling occur when people are by themselves late at night. We have policies in place, where people are not allowed to leave the place of lodging at night, unless it is with our entire team. Finally, in case something does happen, we take out an insurance policy for each trip which includes medical coverage, up to emergency evacuation. One final note, often times our media can tend to cover events that only show other countries in a negative light and places can seem more dangerous than they are. With that said, there are several countries that we will not take teams to. However, the places we choose to travel to are safe and we are doing all things in our power to make sure.