About
KEEN's Mission - Empower youth with disabilities and impact volunteer coaches through participation in free, non-competitive, one-on-one programs of physical activity and fun, supporting the overall health and well-being of all participants.
KEEN’s Vision - Create communities in which individuals with disabilities have equal opportunities for recreation, fitness, and friendship; provide families with respite and a supportive network; foster a lifelong commitment to positive change for volunteers through their engagement with KEEN athletes; develop partnerships to actively promote disability awareness.
KEEN Chicago is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization and is an affiliate of KEEN USA headquartered in Washington, DC. KEEN San Francisco's local Board of Directors is comprised of community leaders, parents and volunteers with the purpose of providing skills and expertise to the organization helping to ensure that it remains true to KEEN’s mission: providing free recreational opportunities to children and young adults with disabilities by pairing them with trained volunteers for fun, noncompetitive activities.
KEEN is modeled on an innovative program established in Oxford, England by Elliott Portnoy, who brought KEEN to the Washington, DC area in 1992. With help from a handful of parents and volunteers, KEEN started as a single program. Now, because of our careful attention to the needs of our athletes and their families, and our volunteers, KEEN serves hundreds of young people with disabilities and offers a wide range of programs and activities.
KEEN operates programs in:
KEEN USA is a GuideStar Gold Participant
A Gold Seal status is the leading symbol of non-profit transparency and accountability.
KEEN San Francisco, LLC is an affiliate of KEENusa, a national, non-profit 501(c)3 organization with additional affiliates operating in Chicago, Greater Washington DC, Los Angeles, New York, and St. Louis