Federal Funding Cuts End UMaine Youth Sports Program
Contact: Kay Hyatt at (207) 581-2761
ORONO, Maine — The National Youth Sports Program (NYSP), which has offered free summer camp experiences to area youth for 13 years at the University of Maine, is among programs eliminated in recent federal budget cuts. While the University will work with the Maine Congressional delegation to restore funding for fiscal year 2007, the program will not be held this summer, according to NYSP administrator Stephen Butterfield.
Butterfield, UMaine professor of education and special education, established Northern New England’s first NYSP site under a federal grant in 1993 and built it into an award-winning program that has served thousands of youth from approximately 60 communities ranging from Lincoln to Newport and from Ellsworth to Dover-Foxcroft.
The day camp, which included free transportation and medical examinations, breakfast and lunch, offered six weeks of instruction in a variety of sports and educational activities to children and adolescents ages 10-16. The camp’s quality aquatic program, featuring daily instruction and practice, had a high success rate, with the vast majority of youngsters swimming effectively by the end of the summer and all overcoming most of their fear of the water.
A partnership between the U.S. government and participating universities and communities, with oversight by the National Youth Sports Corporation, the UMaine NYSP represented a $1,000 value at no cost to participants. In addition, the program generated approximately $3.50 in goods, services, additional grant monies, and in-kind contributions for every federally funded NYSP dollar. The federal grant in 2005 was $67,500. In addition, the program received a $5,170 grant from the Maine Nutrition Network, and $15,000 from the Maine Department of Education/School Nutrition Program.
“With a limited budget and the generosity of area businesses, civic organizations, service agencies, the University and individuals representing many professions, NYSP was able to positively affect the lives of hundreds of families in Central Maine,” said Butterfield.
Throughout the program’s run at UMaine, Butterfield has consistently recognized the commitment and support of his staff — area coaches, teachers, UMaine and high school students — for making such a quality program possible.
“We have always selected and evaluated staff members based on the goals of the program and on their commitment to working successfully with campers in a highly structured, non-competitive learning environment,” said Butterfield. “As a result, we have had a staff devoted to helping campers achieve the goals of believing in themselves, getting along with others and experiencing personal skill development.”
NYSP has been a wonderful fixture at UMaine, says Robert Cobb, dean of the College of Education and Human Development. “A dedicated professional staff from the University and K-12 schools, along with a number of high school students working to meet their school’s service learning requirements, have supported this outstanding opportunity for the region’s youngsters,” he says. “Everyone involved with NYSP has worked under the direction and supervision of Dr. Steve Butterfield, whose vision and initiative created the UMaine NYSP program. His unflagging commitment to the program has made it one of the most celebrated within the national NYSP network.”
The UMaine NYSP was recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in 1993 with a first-year program commendation award. It earned meritorious program awards for outstanding leadership, service to children and community involvement in 1994 and 1999.