Thank you for joining me for another United Journey profile piece. Today, you will read about Kaitlin Brennan, Program Director of Leveling The Playing Field Baltimore.
The purpose of this United Journey series is to highlight leaders in sports & entertainment who embody the Win-Win-Win mentality. This series has provided me with the chance to speak to so many influential and innovative leaders, especially in my hometown city.
Who is Kaitlin Brennan?
Kaitlin Brennan has always had a passion for sports and grew up in Baltimore County, Maryland. She went to school in Baltimore City at the Institute of Notre Dame (IND). United Journey readers might remember that Jana Brooks, featured guest #5, also graduated from IND. Sports were a huge part of Kaitlin’s childhood and helped to shape her identity. From a young age, sports gave her a sense of belonging and community.
After high school, Kaitlin’s world view expanded while attending Syracuse. Her curiosity led to more career options. She graduated as a dual major in Policy Studies and History as well as obtaining a minor in Geography.
All of these fields of study had one thing in common - They analyze how systems influence the way we live and how the decisions to create or change those systems are made.
Kaitlin’s professional goal included supporting organizations with a strong understanding of “boots on the ground” operations. However, as she graduated from Syracuse in 2009, in the middle of a recession, getting a foot in the door at any company was extremely difficult.
Kaitlin got a chance providing logistical support for nonprofits that focused on human service resource development. Her main goal in those roles was to ‘keep things moving with minimal resources.”
After about 7 years of this work, Kaitlin decided to work in the front end of operations. She wanted to move away from mitigating issues that came up after the fact, and instead spend time looking into front end crisis solutions.
"I was looking for opportunities to build potential rather than mitigate consequences" - Kaitlin Brennan
Pursuing these roles led to her obtaining a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Baltimore. While she recognizes the benefits of this degree, Kaitlin did acknowledge that something in her career was still missing. Kaitlin needed to be in a field that spoke directly to something she was passionate about, like sports.
Networking is so critical to the development of a sports & entertainment industry professional. Kaitlin’s network connected her to Max Levitt, founder of Leveling the Playing Field, who was interested in expanding his organization to Baltimore.
“The role felt hand crafted for me. I continually emailed him and made sure I knew what was happening.” - Kaitlin Brennan
Kaitlin’s interview process lasted almost a year. From January - September 2017, Kaitlin continually reached out to LPF to find ways to get involved. After her interview in September, she secured the role that would start in January 2018.
What is Leveling The Playing Field?
Leveling the Playing Field (LPF) was founded by Max Levitt in 2013. Levitt had a career in youth sports, college athletics, and professional football prior to creating a platform to “respond to the growing inequity between those that can afford to play sports and those that cannot, and the prominent role the cost of sporting goods was playing in that gap.”
The main goal of LPF is to ensure that every kid has the opportunity to engage in the mental & physical benefits of playing sports. LPF does this by collecting, volunteering, and distributing. LPF collects used equipment, then directors, teachers, and community leaders come to pick the equipment up.
"There is no inherent difference to the potential of a child other than the opportunities placed in front of them." - Kaitlin Brennan
Developing LPF Baltimore
In January 2018, at the start of Kaitlin's tenure as Program Director, only a limited number of schools and youth programs were aware of the resources LPF had to offer.
Recognizing the need for collection before distribution led to an all-out attack on a variety of outreach methods. Kaitlin and LPF wanted to ensure that everyone who could support or needed support knew about them.
By May 2018, LPF had successfully collected enough donated gear from the Greater Baltimore community to open up its doors and begin fully distributing sporting equipment to local programs.
Her next step included making sure that schools, sports leagues, and other youth programs serving kids in need knew about LPF's free equipment resources in their own backyard.
This biggest challenge for LPF was overcoming community distrust in support systems. It was critical for the group to create authentic relationships with community members in order for LPF Baltimore to grow and succeed.
Collaboration
LPF Baltimore recipients include schools, general youth programs, grassroots organizations and essentially anyone who could use equipment to supplement their programming. Schools make up about ½ of the LPF Baltimore distribution recipients.
Kaitlin and her team thrive on collaboration. By attending City School Professional Development days, the LPF team is able to learn about opportunities for growth and develop relationships with the local school system. These relationships provide chances to equip and amplify the influencers in Baltimore City Schools.
Baltimore is a city where the most effective outreach tool is word of mouth. Connections in Baltimore can lead to many opportunities. It is easy to feel like you might know everyone in Baltimore, and at the same time meet new people everyday. There is consistent crossover between city and county residents. Because of this, news spreads exceptionally fast.
“We are a unique city. There are blurry lines between the city and the county. You can email, call, or whatever you want all day. But if someone who is on the ground validates your work, they will tell people and you will get the brand development you want.” - Kaitlin Brennan
COVID’s Influence
For a majority of this pandemic, if you have driven around suburban communities and parks, you see people playing everywhere. You see the fact that youth sports in the county continue to operate regularly. Meanwhile, city programs have been on pause since March 13th. If the opportunity gap was large before, which it was, then the disparity that arises after the pandemic if the status quo is kept will be unfathomable.
For LPF, the normal process of collection and distribution was clearly not possible. From March to May, due to uncertainty around COVID, LPF laid low and suspended all operations. In May 2020, LPF, like many of us, recognized the reality of a dangerous and lonely summer ahead.
The needs of the kids LPF supports were not going to go away. LPF needed to provide equipment in a safe way to support virtual programming. Kaitlin and the team developed the LPF Sports Kit. This kit was designed for individual usage as well as for siblings or neighborhood bubbles. A typical soccer kit would include a soccer ball, cones, and a jump rope.
The kits provide the tools needed to support virtual programming for gym teachers, coaches, and other community leaders who otherwise would not be able to work virtually in a meaningful way.
LPF was able to secure small scale grants for the direct purchase of equipment for each kit. In the summer, LPF distributed 400+ kits across 9 programs in Baltimore. In the fall, 1,050 kits were distributed at Baltimore City School-based distribution sites.
What’s Next?
The challenges of 2020 proved to the LPF team and supporters that they are ready, willing, and able to face the challenges in front of society as we enter 2021.
The summer of 2021 is not guaranteed to be “back to normal”. If, and most likely when, a pandemic is still ongoing in 2021, it will be crucial for organizations like LPF to remain active in order to not leave certain communities behind.
Creating individualized sports kits and embarking on the acquisition process was a new frontier for Kaitlin and LPF. The organization has plans to grow the brand and continue to take chances on new social impact opportunities.
A milestone for LPF would be warehouses in every major sport city in the United States. For Kaitlin, Baltimore will always be home and her top priority is the growth and development of the city’s resources.
"Whether they are in need of sporting equipment or have gear to donate - every sports league in Maryland should know about LPF." - Kaitlin Brennan
Thank you for taking the time to read Kaitlin’s story. It is always a pleasure to tell the story of someone who sees Baltimore the way I do. I love the similarities in our stories and look forward to the continued growth of our relationship.
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Baltimore United was formed to accelerate goals for impactful organizations. We intend to increase engagement and partnership opportunities for organizations like Leveling The Playing Field.