Who Gets the Gear?
The Sports Shed serves schools and non-profits in under resourced areas, mainly in the city of Chicago, who struggle to run athletic programs due to lack of funding. We are partnered with over 230 athletic programs. Youth sports are declining in urban areas because of the high cost of gear and disparity of resources. We develop long term partnerships with programs so we can continually increase and improve athletic opportunities for thousands of kids who need a chance to compete.
Chicago Schools
Academy of Scholastic Achievement
Acero Charter Network
of Schools (15 campuses)
– Archer Heights (3 campuses)
– Avondale
– Brighton Park (3 campuses)
– Gage Park (3 campuses)
– Galewood
– Humboldt Park
– Little Village
– Pilsen
– Rodgers Park
Amandla Charter
High School
Ariel Community School
Association House
High School
Chicago Bulls
College Prep
Chicago Hope
Academy High School
Chicago Tech Academy
Christ the King Jesuit
College Prep
CICS Basil Charter Elementary
Corliss High School
Corliss STEM High School
Curie High School
Dodge Academy Elementary
DRW College Prep
Dyett High School
Farragut Career Academy
High School
Frassati Catholic Academy
Frazier Prep High School
Gary Comer College Prep
High School
Gary Comer Middle School
Hales Franciscan
Harper High School
Holy Trinity High School
Hope Institute
Learning Academy
Horace Mann Elementary
Horace Mann High School
Horace Mann School
Immaculate Conception
Instituto Health and Sciences Career Academy
Intrinsic High School
Johnson College Prep
Kenwood Academy High School
Legal Prep Charter Academy
Leo High School
Lindblom Math and
Science Academy
Ludwig Van Beethoven Elementary School
Martha M. Ruggles
Elementary School
Mary E. Courtenay Language Arts Center
Mary Lyon Elementary School
Mather High School
Morgan Park High School
Morton School of Excellence
Muchin College Prep
High School
Next Level Kids Program
Noble Academy
Noble Street College Prep
High School
Our Lady of Tepeyac Elementary
Our Lady of Tepeyac
High School
Paul Revere Elementary School
Perspectives Charter –
High School of Technology
Perspectives Charter – ITT Math and Science Academy
Perspectives Charter – Leadership Academy
Perspectives Charter –
Middle Academy
Perspectives Charter – Rodney D. Joslin Campus
Phillip Murray Elementary/Middle
Plato Learning Center
Richard T. Crane Medical Prep High School
Ruggles Elementary
Sacred Heart School 96
Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy High School
Saucedo Scholastic Academy
Sealy Elementary
Shields Elementary
South Shore International College Prep
St. Bruno School
St. Helen Catholic School
St. Mathias School
St. Micheal the Archangel
St. Pius V School
St. William School
Tarkington School of Excellence
Theodore Roosevelt
High School
Thornton High School
UIC College Prep
ATHLETIC LEAGUES
1 World Sports
360 Sports Academy
A Ray of Hope on Earth
Back 2 the Basics
Beyond Athletics
Black Yankees
Born Legendz Basketball
Bronzeville Venom
Brainerd Park Bengals
Calumet Chargers
Cameo Legends Baseball
Chicago Hitters
Chicago Go Getters
Chicago Lions Rugby
Dixmoor Vikings Football
Dream Chasers Basketball
Ernie Radcliffe Baseball League
Ford Heights Baseball
Greater Good Foundation
Harvey Little League
Humboldt Park Little League
Fast-pitch Softball
I Will I Can Ice Program
Jeffery Manor AAU
KAOS Foundation
(5 programs)
– Football
– Baseball
– Basketball
– Track
– Cheer
Lady Reign/Fusion Basketball
Lawndale Investments Basketball
Leading Lady Basketball
Lil Dawgs Basketball
Lil Dawgs Football
Lindblom Park District
Lost Boyz – Girls Fast-pitch Softball
Lost Boyz Baseball
Near North Raiders
Near West Little League
Near West Side CDC
New Beginnings Camp
Pink Lady Ballers Basketball
Progressive Trojans Football
RA Black Elementary
Riverdale Jaguars (Riverdale Foundation)
Roberto Clement Little League
of Humboldt Park
Roseland Vols
Rosemoor Little League
Rosenbloom Park District
Starting With Me
The Dream
Tomlisen Youth & Athletic Foundation
We Can We Will
West Lawn Little League
Westside Baseball
XS Tennis
YOUTH PROGRAMS
Altgeld Park
America Scores Chicago
Anointed Scholars
Ark of St. Sabina
Austin Community Center
Austin Community
Family Center
Because I Care
Beyond The Ball
Boys and Girls Clubs
of Chicago (4 locations)
– Little Village
– Logan Square
– Louis L. Valentine
– Martin Luther King Dr. Jr.
By The Hand Club
for Kids (4 locations)
– Altgeld-Murray
– Austin
– Englewood
– Cabrini Green
Cabrini Connections
Champs Mentoring
Chicago Dream Center
Chicago Hopes
For Kids (5 locations)
– Cornerstone
Community Outreach
– House of Good Shepherd
– Lena Washington
– Madonna House
– Roseland Christian Ministries
Chicago Training Center
Chicago Youth Centers
Chicago Youth Centers – Fellowship House
Crusher Club
Faithful Few
Four Point Play
Girls in The Game
Hamdard Center
INTRSCT Ministries
Jane Adams Hull House
Kids Off the Block
Knowing Your Worth
Living Hope Church
Love to Serve/Tuley Park
Lydia Home
Men in Action
Mercy Home For Boys
Paving the Way
R-City
Ring of Hope
Safe Alternatives
for Teens and Youth
Skills and Score
St Martin De Porres Church
Sunshine Gospel Ministries
The Ace Project
The Support Group
U.N.I.O.N. Impact
Youth Outreach Services
BEYOND CHICAGO
SUBURBAN
Adopt-a Family Program
AJK Katzenmaier School
Arden Shores
Beyond Sports
Boys and Girls Club of
Lake County – North Chicago
Boys and Girls Club of
Lake County – Waukegan
Calumet City Wildcats
Cristo Rey St. Martin
College Prep
Eternal Light of Maywood
Fellowship Housing
Arden Shore Child
and Family Services
Foss Park District – North Chicago Foundation
Skate Ministry
Isglasia Bautista
Emanual – Waukegan
JAMS Sports
Program – Waukegan
Lambs Farm
Larkin Center
Learn Charter School
Campus 6
Frassati Elementary
Heart of the City Soccer
Maryville Academy
Joliet Celtics
Maywood Park District
McCall Elementary
Learn Charter 10 Elementary
My Joyful Heart
Neal Math and Science Academy
North Chicago Baseball Camp
North Chicago
Community Partners
My Father’s Business
North Chicago High School
Omni Youth Services
Passion Outreach
PAV YMCA Berwyn
Zion Alternative Program
Orchar Village Special Olympics
Waukegan Middle Schools
– Daniel Webster
– Jack Benny
– Miguel Juarez
– Robert Abbott
– Thomas Jefferson
NATIONAL
Dr. Earl J. Leonard
High School – Ruskin, FL
Impact Ministries
– Evansville, IN
Sport Wayne – Fort Wayne, IN
INTERNATIONAL
Army of the Kind – Haiti
Gear 4 Goals
H. E. D. A. C. – Honduras
Juna Amagara – Uganda
Kids Alive International/
Christ the King
Baseball Academy –
Dominican Republic
Project Winter Camp Jamaica
Soccer for Zambia
Warm Blankets – Camodia
Willow Creek Global Partners
Our vision is for all kids in under resourced communities in the Chicagoland area to have alternatives to gangs and violence through organized sports.
Our mission is to provide quality sports gear and resources to schools and organizations who lack the funding to provide safe and successful sports programs.
Our values are based on the belief that there are life-changing benefits for youth who engage in sports and physical fitness.
WE MAKE MIRACLES HAPPEN
Sarah E. Goode STEM High School opened in 2012 on the South-side of Chicago with basketball and baseball as the only sports offered. The Sports Shed started working with their part-time Athletic Director in April 2013 to help launch a football program by fall with a $3,000 athletic budget. They had a field but no equipment. Football helmets alone would cost nearly $10,000! The Sports Shed found partners like Sports 11 in Libertyville and Rust-Oleum Corporation to provide the equipment needed including new Riddell football helmets!
Equipment was delivered in time for July practice and allowed the team to compete in the Fall 2013 season. Three years later, with continued help from The Sports Shed, the school has hundreds of student athletes and 26 girls and boys teams. The sports offered are soccer, volleyball, softball, baseball, swimming, basketball, wrestling, track/cross country, and cheer. The football program has expanded to three levels: Freshman, JV and Varsity!
“Thanks to The Sports Shed for all the baseball equipment. Without it, our school wouldn’t have had a team this season.”
—Ron Fugger, Baseball Coach
Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy
Inspired by my passion for sports
Tina Sernet founded The Sports Shed in 2009. Since then, they have distributed over $2 million worth of quality gear to over 230 schools and athletic programs mainly in Chicago. Helping schools start new sports programs, increase participation and elevate their level of play is the top priority!
The Sports Shed has launched football teams, provided access to tennis instruction, started softball programs, and supplied gear to countless soccer, basketball, volleyball and baseball leagues. Tina’s passion for sports and equipment started early as her dad spent countless hours engaging her in playing softball , basketball, tennis and more. She was always intrigued by the latest athletic gear, her first job was in a tennis shop and later became a buyer for Athlete’s Foot stores, and continued to work in the industry for many years.
When Tina became a mother of 2 student athletes in the suburbs of Chicago, she recognized the over abundance of resources for youth sports that skyrocketed. In affluent communities, parents and schools afforded kids with the latest and greatest equipment and facilities in hopes to ensure ultimate success. With a heart for low-income urban areas of Chicago, she decided to research the disparity of athletic opportunities / resources and found that there is an enormous gap! Literally tens of thousands of kids have little to no access to play or compete. Hundreds of Chicago schools have extremely limited funding, facilities or space needed to provide athletics and physical education.
With conviction, compassion and the love of Christ in her heart, Tina has spent the last decade bridging this equity gap. Her own experience of benefiting from sports gave her the motivation get it started. The difference it makes in the lives of the youth that benefit, drives The Sports Shed team to continually create athletic opportunities that give inner-city kids alternatives to the negative influences like gangs and violence in Chicago’s vast areas of poverty. The goal is to continue building this impactful organization that will keep finding viable solutions by leveraging resources to gear up thousands of kids for a better future!
TINA SERNETT
FOUNDER
Executive Director
The Sports Shed
2009
TOM REED
CHAIRMAN
Former President and COO
Rust-Oleum Corporation
2014
JEFF RAGAN
VICE CHAIRMAN
Director Internal Audit
W.W. Grainger
2018
MARY GIFFORD
TREASURER
Senior Tax Manager
Mowery & Schoenfeld
2019
DON SWANSON
Wealth Advisor
Thrivent
2014
MORGAN WALDRON
Business Development Manager
Arco Murray
2018
LAWRENCE JACKSON
Athletic Director
Gary Comer College Prep,
Founder
Lady Reign Basketball
2020
BRIAN SCANLON
Vice President of Talent & Acquisition
Coyote Logistics
2019
Jesse Arnold Co-Chair, Events Committee
Taylor Beairsto
Beth Brichetto
Alec Brown
Jordyn Comitor President
Kathleen Cook
Aubrey Coquillard
Sami Freibrun
Jenny Graham
Alex Gutierrez
Sarah Gutierrez
Taylor Henning Co-Chair, Events Committee
Mitchell Johnson
Justine Johnson
Steph Koontz
Nick Korhumel
Mac Levin
Molly Madden Events Committee
Samantha Meccia
Molly Moon New Member Recruitment Committee
Brooke Overgard Events Committee
Brian Owens New Member Recruitment Committee
Paige Powell Chair, New Member Recruitment Committee
David Quinn Chair, Member Onboarding & Education Committee
Patrick Quinn Events Committee
Chrystal Ragasa
Tara Rooney
Caitlin Sernett Member Onboarding & Education Committee
Sue Sernett
Jessica Simkins Member Onboarding & Education Committee
Liz Skokna Events Committee
Chris Valvassori Vice-President
Lisa VanHouten
Cecilia Wolf
Who gets the sports equipment from The Sports Shed and what geographic area is served?
Thousands of inner-city kids in low-income areas of Chicago, mainly on the south-side and west-‐side of the city, plus a few surrounding suburbs. We work directly with over 230 under-resourced schools, after-school/summer programs and sports leagues that struggle due to lack of funding. Curie High School and Shields Elementary School are among dozens of Chicago Public schools that benefit from The Sports Shed. We also support charter schools like Gary Comer College Prep and Perspectives Charter Network’s five campuses. America Scores Chicago and KAOS (Keeping Adolescence Off the Streets) Foundation are a couple examples of other programs that have received thousands of sports items from us.
How do you select the schools and programs that will benefit?
We set up a meeting with program directors and coaches who reach out to us so we can access their current resources, program challenges, and goals to determine if they are aligned with The Sports Shed’s mission and a fit for the services we provide.
From there, they submit a wish‐list and we offer consultation services so that we can find the best way to meet their program’s needs and get kids in the game.
How is The Sports Shed funded and what is your annual budget?
Our funding comes from a donor base consisting of three categories. Hundreds of individuals have invested, giving folks with a passion for sports and/or youth a chance to give personally in a meaningful way. Dozens of corporations have partnered with us on sponsorships and significant contributions. We have also received a grants from foundations such New York Life and The Grainger Foundation. Our Current annual budget is roughly $500,000.
How is the money I donate used?
Monetary donations allow us to quickly and efficiently source and acquire needed gear. Every dollar donated boosts our capacity to serve more kids and opens the door for us to support more schools and programs that are in need of our services. With your donations we are able to sponsor special projects, purchase gear that is not typically available through donations, offer expert consultation to program recipients, and make things happen that would not otherwise be possible.
How do I make a donation?
Make a donation online using your credit or debit card.
Mail a check to The Sports Shed, 872 S. Milwaukee Ave. #112, Libertyville IL 60048.
Maximize your giving – Most companies support charitable giving through matching gifts and payroll deductions. The Sports Shed is already set up on several company giveback programs such as IBM, Grainger, ITW and Thrivent Financial. Check with your Human Resources Department!
Do you accept donations of new or used sports equipment?
Yes, donations of quality Sports equipment can help us serve more kids!
Our goal is to provide quality gear that makes kids feel valued and gives them the best possible chance at a successful athletic experience. You can donate new or gently used gear directly to our Shed or through Play It Again Sports. See our Donate Gear page for more information.
What items do you need most? Are there items you cannot use?
The most needed items are balls (baseballs, softballs, footballs, basketballs, soccer and volley balls, playground balls), mitts, bats, training/practice equipment, nets, athletic shoes/cleats and new athletic apparel.
We cannot accept worn out, damaged, mismatched or otherwise unusable items. We are committed to providing quality gear that makes kids feel valued and give them the best possible chance of success in their athletic experience.
See more information on our Donate Gear page.
Are donations tax deductible? Can I get a receipt?
The Sports Shed is a 501(c)3 non‐profit charity. Any monetary contributions are tax deductible and you will receive a receipt. Donations of goods and in-kind services are also tax deductible and we will provide receipts upon request.
Can I go with you to deliver sports equipment?
Yes…by arrangement. In most cases, multiple deliveries are done in one day. It requires the willingness to either meet us at a particular location or if you want to “ride along”, it could take an entire day. It can be a great way to see the positive impact we have, so contact us directly if interested.
What kind of volunteer opportunities are available?
Volunteers are needed to help with periodic fundraising events such as The Sports Shed Golf Outing and the Chicago Marathon. If you are interested in helping, contact sherry@thesportsshed.org for more information.
Students can earn community service hours by volunteering on a one-time basis or to organize their school, team or group in doing a fundraiser to sponsor a team in need or initiate a collection drive.
More information about ways to get involved is on our Get Involved page.
What are other ways to help?
Connect us – Sports equipment suppliers/retailers often have closeouts or excess inventor, which means partnerships with them is a win-win! We put the gear into hands of kids who need it and they receive a tax deduction for donated gear. We also can meet more needs with access to wholesale or special pricing from sports equipment dealers and manufacturers. Contact us to make an introduction with people you know in the industry! tina@thesportsshed.org
Where is your facility? Can I visit/drop off donations?
We have a new showroom space in the Washington Park neighborhood on the south side of Chicago where we are available to meet with recipients or supporters. Just give us a call to let us know you’re coming so we can be sure to show you around our new space!
5504 S. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60615
For large donation drop off, we can arrange to meet you at one of our two warehouse spaces that are generously donated by our partners LightSource Unlimited and Mobile Lock & Safe. Contact us to make arrangements.

200 boxes of food
transported to food pantries for local families

700 masks
distributed to partner organizations and homeless shelters

Sports Equipment
700 pieces for virtual coaching and at-home training

Collaborating
with other youth sports organizations to determine safest ways to get kids back in the game
Dear Friends, Supporters and Partners,
Now more than ever we understand the importance of sports. We feel the loss of kids not being able to play and compete. We miss cheering for and participating in sports of all kinds and at all levels.
But most importantly, we recognize that many around the world are facing sickness, hardship and grief due to COVID-19. Our hearts go out to each of you in this time of uncertainty and loss.
At the Sports Shed we are working with our partner organizations to meet the immediate and changing needs in the community while actively preparing for and looking forward to the return of youth sports. We are thankful for the support we have received that enables us to maintain organizational stability during this difficult time. We know and are anticipating that the need for our services will be greater than ever in the coming months as we all rebuild. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn for the latest updates of what we’re doing.
Sports develop perseverance, fortitude, self-discipline and team spirit. The current pandemic gives us the opportunity to put those characteristics into practice.
Thank you for your continued support of The Sports Shed. We look forward to celebrating with you on the other side of this.
Stay healthy and safe,
Tina Sernett
Executive Director