Today we’d like to introduce you to Srinidhi Moram, Nidhi Gadekar, and Dileep Kotireddy.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Young Athlete Aid began in the summer of 2023 as a sports medicine-oriented non-profit organization. During our freshman and sophomore years, we (Srinidhi and Nidhi) were inspired by our internship at the Emory Rehabilitation Center as we observed Dr. Amy Leake. As we shadowed her, we saw how she spent extensive time talking to her patients and helping them recover. Her dedication and passion to providing care for patients is where we got the idea to create a non-profit dedicated to sports safety. We then partnered with Dileep, a senior who was also interested in sports medicine, to form Young Athlete Aid. We all realized a huge problem in our community around us was the lack of awareness of how to keep young athletes safe. Moreover, many underserved populations faced barriers in accessing essential sporting equipment, further exacerbating this issue. Our aim is to empower young athletes with the knowledge, resources, and equipment they need to pursue their passions safely and confidently and we hope to spread this goal with others.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Since starting Young Athlete Aid it has been amazing, but it hasn’t been without its challenges. Running a non-profit organization while still in high school has certainly had its challenges. In the beginning, it was difficult to gain awareness and get participation from both donors and schools/athletes. Additionally, as a purely student-run organization, it’s been tough balancing the workload on top of academics and extracurriculars. However, through perseverance and the incredible support we’ve received, especially recently, things have started coming together for Young Athlete Aid’s mission.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
As an organization, our goal is to provide essential protective equipment and education that promotes health and safety for young athletes. We focus specifically on serving communities and schools that lack proper access to these important resources. So far, we’re most proud of securing significant donations and delivering our first batch of 55+ supplies to local charitable organizations such as Give Back Box and The Girls and Boys Club of Metro Atlanta. These charities resonate with the cause of our mission. Beyond the numbers though, sharing knowledge through local school visits and educating the youth about athlete safety – that’s what truly motivates us and makes Young Athlete Aid special. Our hands-on approach stemmed from experiences and passion is what sets us apart. As we continue our journey, we hope to grow and expand as an organization and carry out our drives on a larger scale.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
While running this organization, we have been so grateful to have so many supporters. Our recently elected leadership team has been helpful in aiding to expand our organization just in the past few weeks. We would really like to thank Dr. Leake, who has been so helpful in getting our organization on its feet. Without the help of her and all the patients who have donated at Emory Rehabilitation Center, we would not have been able to make our first donation of sports equipment and safety gear. Furthermore, our school’s HOSA chapter and our local elementary and middle schools for allowing us to educate the youth about athlete safety. Our organization would not be as successful without the help of these amazing people!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://youngathleteaid.square.site/about
- Instagram: @youngathleteaid
- Other: Start Your Own Chapter: https://forms.office.com/r/0M4esNYmut
