Backfield in Motion
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615-227-9935
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920 Woodland Street
Nashville, TN 37206
Organization Details

Statements

Mission

Backfield in Motion is a non-profit organization focusing on education through mastery of literacy and numeracy skills of at-risk youth that leads to a high school diploma, a foundation for higher education, and the on-job skills needed to enter the world of work, while using athletics as an incentive for academic improvement.

Background

When Joe Davis started volunteering as a football coach at the McFerrin Community Center in East Nashville, he experienced first hand how the vast differences in resources and the lack of support from both parents and the community negatively impacted the boys, he was there to help. Joe wanted to find a way for inner-city youth to have access to the same kinds of opportunities, both on and off the playing field, that are available to those in more affluent neighborhoods. Joe quickly came to the conclusion that athletics and academics were important in the development of the child to achieve success in life. With that belief in mind, the Backfield in Motion concept came into being in 2000. Backfield in Motion continued to expand, drawing a dedicated and growing group of volunteers, families, contributors, and supporters who share a common desire to help inner-city boys develop the skills necessary to reach their greatest potential.

Impact

Founded in 2000 to provide educational resources for inner-city youth to have the same kinds of opportunities as those in more affluent areas, serving over 200 students annually. * Has celebrated 17 years of success and student growth in Northeast and Northwest Nashville. *

Data driven academic yearly growth for students enrolled in our programs.

Governed by volunteer Board of Directors - 11, including the CEO and Senior Staff.

Multiple partnerships with community organizations. The successes Backfield in Motion has experienced as a result of providing an extended learning program for a ten-year period include the following:

Inglewood Elementary School moved from "Priority Focus" to "Priority Improved" following Backfield in Motion's implementation of our extended learning program after the first year of providing serves.

BIM measures middle school student improvement to be 17% per semester in reading/language arts and mathematics using the STAR curriculum and assessments.

Of the 50 high school students served annually, more than 860 have graduated on-time to access higher learning opportunities.

21 adults have received a high school equivalency diploma! Having served middle and high school students since 2000, Backfield in Motion launched a pilot extended learning program at the Inglewood Elementary School in 2016 to serve 3rd and 4th grade students. The successful project resulted in the school improving from "Priority" to "Priority Improving" following the first year of the project. BIM uses social media and phone applications (aps) to communicate with parents and send program reminders.Elementary and Middle School Academic Outcomes for the 2018-2019 school year. Reading Language Arts:133 of 229 (60%) of students improved by 50% or more in RLA.Science: 147 of 229 (66%) of students improved by 50% or more in science.Math: 140 of 229 (63%) of students improved by 50% or more in math.

Needs

Backfield in Motion's has diverse sources of funding. They include governmental (45%), foundations (30%) and fundraising events (25%). As we continue to expand our programming to include elementary school children in the first through fourth grades, additional funding support is a priority. We will serve Amqui, Bellshire, and Nashville Classical in the 2019-2020 school year anticipating sixty students to be enrolled at each elementary school site.In addition to funding support, Backfield in Motion has two annual fundraisers. We need thirty volunteers for our Sporting Clay Shoot held in August of each year.

CEO Statement

BIM'S Strategic Directives:BIM will employ evidence-based practice across our entire extended learning program. BIM will increase program collaborations (internal and external to the organization). BIM will position itself as a primary community resource for at-risk young men in MNPS. BIM will become a primary partner for MNPS's extended learning community. BIM will advocate for public incentives and partnerships that are in the best interest of our students and community stakeholders. BIM programs will expand beyond the northern part of Davidson County, to include meeting demand for high, quality programming. BIM will pursue shared training opportunities with other agencies and be a leader in collaborative training with other extended learning programs. BIM will become a center for learning and teaching by providing training and internship opportunities for teachers and parents in urban settings. BIM will further develop an influential and connected Board of Directors and Advisory Council. BIM will grow revenue to support mission-centric program needs.

Board Chair Statement

July 1, 2019 Re: Letter of Support To Whom It May Concern: "Backfield in Motion (BIM) is a nonprofit organization that combines academic achievement, life skills, character development and athletics to inspire inner-city youth to reach their maximum potential and become significant contributors to society." We at Backfield in Motion believe that "Education is one investment that cannot be lost or taken from an individual." Our programs provide educational resources to inner-city youth with a focus on mathematics, reading, writing, comprehension and critical thinking skills provided by an excellent teaching staff. Individualized tutorial instruction is provided to students to help them understand and complete their homework, develop academic and life skills building their self-confidence. We strive to ensure all our students develop the necessary skill set they need to have to obtain academic success and graduate earning a high school diploma. Furthermore, it is our focus to provide a Health and Wellness component within our program. The BIM Healthy Kids-Healthy Hearts project is designed to decrease the rate of childhood obesity by combining nutritional education, behavior modification, and physical fitness activities to improve the health and wellness of minority boys, ages 10 to 12, residing in low-income households in Davidson County. Tennessee has the third highest rate of pediatric obesity in the United States and ranks 44th among the 50 states in health outcomes for its adult populace as reported by the Tennessee Department of Education, Office of School Coordinated Health. Early intervention among school-aged children is essential in reducing these alarming trends. Social conditions, environment, and poor nutritional habits are directly linked to the risk of disadvantaged children developing obesity and other related health risks. There is a strong positive correlation between childhood obesity and economic deprivation. BIM has measured much higher incidents of obesity in our target population of disadvantaged African-American boys (43%) than their Caucasian peers (21%). Research has determined that the development of food preferences of poor nutritional value have long-term health implications. Excess weight in adolescence has immediate effects on the physical and mental health of children and consequently academic achievement. Carried into adulthood, excess weight predisposes our youth to these serious health risks: coronary disease, diabetes, stroke, cancer, and osteoarthritis. I hope you will join our efforts to improve the lives of many of Nashville's most vulnerable youth. Sincerely, Richard Fletcher, Board ChairBackfield in Motion, Inc.


Service Categories

Primary Category: Education  - Elementary & Secondary Schools 
Secondary Category: Youth Development  - Single Organization Support 
Tertiary Category: Recreation & Sports  - Physical Fitness/Community Recreational Facilities 

Areas Served

Backfield in Motion serves students residing in low-income neighborhoods of Davidson County. They attend low-performing Title I, Metro Nashville Public Schools. The schools are located in the Hunters Lane, Maplewood, Pearl-Cohn, Stratford, and White's Creek clusters zones (www.mnps.org). The boys live in adjacent neighborhoods with crime rates 20 to 30 percent higher than those of other urban neighborhoods in Metropolitan Nashville.

TN - Davidson