The Elena Tresh Foundation

Tips for Getting Your Child Involved in Sports

Jennifer Tresh, the founder of the non-profit Elena Tresh Foundation, relishes in the opportunity to watch her child’s baseball games. Fun for the entire family, sports provide children with confidence, physical exercise, and a sense of independence.

Hitting that home run or making that big play certainly offers a great sense of accomplishment to a child of any age, but the experience of camaraderie and teamwork in youth athletics is one that will serve him or her for the rest of his life. The following tips outline great ways to get your child involved in a sport they will continue to love and cherish for many years to come.

1. Identify the types of activities your child likes to match him or her up with something that aligns with their interests. A hyper, fast-moving child may prefer basketball, while baseball involves a little more standing around at attention.

2. Decide whether your child is best suited for team or individual sports. While both kinds offer a number of benefits, teamwork can be either difficult or highly enjoyable for a child, depending on his or her disposition. Talking with your child and simply asking them is often the easiest way to understand their preference.

3. Take your child to a game of the sport that you may want to introduce to them. Even better, take them to several different sporting games and see which one they most enjoy. Once they see adults playing the game, they will likely be inspired to get out there and do it themselves.

4. Get your child excited. Before their first practice or introduction to the sport, talk about the history of the sport or why you enjoy it so much. Identifying a famous athlete on television is often all it takes to inspire awe.

5. Give them independence. Once they are on a team, or participating in the chosen sport, give them space to grow and feel a sense of accomplishment. If they experience a bad day or practice, let them know that it’s normal and that there’s always more opportunity for growth and improvement.

The Elena Tresh Foundation

For those families dealing with the catastrophic, terminal illness of a child, the Elena Tresh Foundation in Safety Harbor, Florida, provides various types of assistance. Named after a nearly 6-year-old girl who died of cancer in 1999, the Elena Tresh Foundation was established by the girl’s mother, Jennifer Tresh, eight years later. On the Elena Tresh Foundation website, Jennifer Tresh offers a detailed account of her daughter’s illness and the subsequent grieving and healing process that her family endured. Seeking to create a positive force out of her experience, Jennifer Tresh used her own monies and began raising funds to launch the Elena Tresh Foundation, Inc., which began operations in 2007. Since that time, the Elena Tresh Foundation has assisted many families to alleviate the stress of their children’s terminal or catastrophic illness. The Elena Tresh Foundation provides financial assistance with cost-of-living expenses that may be difficult to meet when faced with mounting medical bills. In addition, the Elena Tresh Foundation offers several morale-boosting initiatives to assist ill children in coping with their situation. The Elena Tresh Foundation provides free birthday and holiday assistance to sick children and their brothers and sisters under the age of 18. Party supplies, as well as gifts, are provided to qualified participants. A trained registered nurse turned philanthropist, Jennifer Tresh has developed skills in several areas, including addiction-related services, grief support, and bullying prevention. In addition, Jennifer Tresh has published an article on bullying, and provides workshops and training on such topics. Jennifer Tresh gained much of her experience working with deaf children and adults with mental illness. Fluent in American Sign Language, she and her husband developed programs and treatment centers focusing on the needs of deaf people suffering from mental illness. Outside of her philanthropic work with the Elena Tresh Foundation, Jennifer Tresh enjoys watching baseball, especially her 10-year-old son’s games. Jennifer Tresh donates to several other charities, including the Humane Society, Miles for Hope, the Neighborhood Family Service Center, and Big Brothers Big Sisters. She lives with her family in Safety Harbor.