Stories from Past Let Me Play Grant Recipients

 

Keelani, LMP '19

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Dream: Gymnastics
Hometown: Minneapolis, MN

Keelani was looking to pursue gymnastics with her grant in order to stretch her muscles, do flips, and to better her skills in the hopes of one day being a professional gymnast. She wanted to try new things and push herself to work hard and never give up.

“I love gymnastics but I really love beam and bars the most! I learned how to do a front flip off the beam this summer and how to jump from the little bar to the big one.”

 


 

Allison, LMP '18

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Dream: New Basketball Shoes
Hometown: Cloquet, MN

Allison, #5 above, fell in love with the game of basketball as a way to relieve stress and keep her mind clear.

"Basketball is my number one coping mechanism – I love it so much! I can’t even explain it. With the help of the ABF grant, I was able to get new basketball shoes for the first time in three years and join a summer league team, which I never thought would be possible for me. I hope one day I can help other girls like me and give them the same opportunity that the Ann Bancroft Foundation has given me. Thank you so much!”

Kayley, LMP '19

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Dream: National Horse Judging
Hometown: Le Sueur, MN

"The horse judging competition in total was 9 hours long, throughout that time I got to see champion horses, and learned new things, it was definitely worth sitting in the stands for 9 hours. After I was done judging, I sat and watched other horses be judged and showed, which was pretty cool being able to see these horses at APHA stadium. The next day was award day, were we got to see if we placed, sadly we did not place but it did not matter because it was an awesome experience. I then said goodbye to my teammates, and started my way back to Minnesota. I really am going to miss the kind atmosphere and old country western feel.

I'Monie, LMP '18

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Dream: Karate classes
Hometown: Minneapolis, MN

I'Monie's dream was to continue her passion for karate in order to build her confidence and self-esteem. She was looking to learn how to defend herself without hurting other people (to keep her safe from harm) while exercising and sharpening her focus skills.

"I love doing karate because it helps me think that when someone bullies me, I can be strong and nobody can hurt me. Dream big. You can do anything you want... Go girls!"

Kaya, LMP '19

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Dream: Track and Field
Hometown: Brooklyn Park, MN

Quote from Kaya's mother:

"My daughter had a great track season. She is the State and Regional Champion for the 800m and State champion for 400m, 4th in the region for the 400m, and 3rd in the State and Region for long jump. The 800m and the long jump are both new events for Kaya. Her confidence as an athlete continues to grow. Resources like Ann Bancroft Foundation allowed us to make the trip for the AAU Junior Olympics to compete nationally. This year, Kaya had her first individual events. The experience was a amazing for her."
 

Isabella, LMP '17
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Dream: Cheerleading
Hometown: Zimmerman, MN

“I love making new friends, and I enjoy working with people and their ideas. I also hope to learn my back handspring."

With the help and support of her parents, her mentor, and her coach, Isabella was able to start with the basics of learning a cartwheel and has now mastered back flips and back tucks – reaching her goal outlined in her grant application. This is something she is very proud of and happy to have accomplished with the help of those around her.

Alexandra, LMP '15

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Dream: Become a professional ballet dancer
Hometown: St. Cloud, MN

Alexandra has aspired to be a professional ballet dancer since she can remember, and she dreams to carry on her love of ballet through teaching. 

“Dance for me boosts my confidence and helps me be a more confident person in everyday life. Having the grant to continue training boosted my confidence and self-esteem, making my training much more attainable.”

Michelle, LMP '11
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Dream: Figure skating
Hometown: Minneapolis, MN

Michelle's dream was to continue doing what she loved the most - skating. With the help of the Let Me Play grant, she was able to train with an Olympic coach.

"For me to be the best skater I could be, I needed to train witht he best. When I found out I got the grant from the Ann Bancroft Foundation, it made me feel so satisfied because it meant that someone else believed that I could do what I wanted to do.

 

Crystalyn, LMP '07
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Dream: New hockey skates
Hometown: Eden Prairie, MN

When Crystalyn was awarded the Let Me Play grant, she used it to replace her too-small ice skates so she could continue to play in her fifth season of hockey. Since then, she was a 2018 semifinalist for the Ms. Hockey Award (Minnesota), was a member of the 2016 USA U18 women’s hockey team (IIHF World Championship gold medal), and now plays for the University of MN Women’s Hockey team.