INTRODUCTION
The Gift of Sport started as an individual fundraising initiative created in 2021 by (at the time, 12 year old) Finnley Ritter to help support Camden student-athletes. Finnley's goal was to raise, donate, and provide funds and sporting goods / equipment to various Camden-based youth athletic organizations so that they would be better able to serve their young athletes. In the past, she also funded pre-paid performance training for Camden sports teams / athletes through the Parisi South Jersey speed school. During the time that The Gift of Sport operated as an individual fundraising initiative, Finnley raised and donated $30K to SUPPORT UNDERSERVED CAMDEN ATHLETES: providing training and donating goods to ensure these athletes had the necessary skills and equipment to participate and compete. Given Finnley's desire for this initiative to grow and to continue in the future, The Gift of Sport now operates as a club at Haddonfield Memorial High School. Finnley's goal has always been, and remains, to help give Camden youth athletes the gift of sport, through which they can build mental and physical strength, self-confidence, and self-worth.
THE GIFT OF SPORT CLUB
2025 - 2026:
In 2025, Finnley decided to shift operational gears in order to guarantee that her vision would continue after she graduates from high school in 2027.
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researched how to start a club at her school: Haddonfield Memorial High School (HMHS)
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contacted the appropriate individuals / authority figures to initiate the full year process
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sought out / recruited a faculty advisor
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gathered enough signatures of interest within the student body for approval
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pitched and presented The Gift of Sport Club to all student council officers and delegates
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the Student Council voted on the proposed club
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The Gift of Sport was awarded pilot status at HMHS in the fall of 2025
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Finnley ran elections for officers
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Finnley now serves as the President of The Gift of Sport Club at HMHS, with other student club members acting as Vice Presidents, Secretary, and Treasurer
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this website will continue to provide updates for historical context, but the club has now taken over fundraising / volunteering/ discovering and managing contacts within the Camden community / social media / general operations / etc.
Original Inspiration / Role Models
Why sports?? Why community service??
"The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members."
- Coretta Scott King
"Alone we can do so little; together, we can do so much."
- Hellen Keller
"Sport can create hope where once there was only despair."
-Nelson Mandela
Finnley Ritter