“We Play. We Rise.” Laureus Grantees Celebrate a Year of Youth Impact Through Sport
Chicago, IL – June 26, 2025 — In a vibrant arcade filled with music, laughter, and connection, Laureus Sport for Good grantee organizations came together the evening of June, 26th, to celebrate a year of transformative work using sport as a vehicle for youth development and social impact.
The celebration event took place at Emporium Arcade Bar located in Chicago’s own Wicker Park. The ambiance was inviting, offering a nostalgic gaming experience and playful atmosphere, where we were more than welcomed to unleash our inner child. The space was like walking into a retro time capsule, walls covered floor-to-ceiling with vibrantly painted retro and anime-style murals, all created by local artists. The lighting struck a perfect balance between cozy dimness and glowing neon, further enhancing the immersive throwback vibe. Emporium Arcade Bar houses over 100 different arcade titles, including pinball machines, air hockey, pool, foosball, skee-ball, and bubble hockey, all operated by tokens, which added to the authentic, old-school gaming experience.
Titled with the rallying motto “We play. We rise.”, the gathering honored the power of sport-based programs to create opportunity, joy, and lasting change for young people across Chicago. From boosting school attendance to supporting mental wellness, building pathways to employment, promoting equity, and cultivating safe, inclusive communities, these organizations are the heartbeat of the Sport for Good Chicago movement.
“What’s happening here is an outlier,” said Amy Mummery, Laureus Grant Manager, during a heartfelt address to the room. “At the heart of it all, the non-negotiable, are the people in this room. You light up city blocks, you light up school yards, you light up spaces where light has never been seen.”
The evening featured food from Antique Taco, drinks, and a brief program that served as a poetic tribute to the grantees’ impact. Mummery continued, “There’s power in this room that can’t be shut off. Not by legislation, not by funding cuts; all because the relationships we’ve built live outside the system. We connect. We play. And because we value the humanity in each other and in what we create for our young people –we rise.”
Sport for Good Chicago supports grantee partners working across six core outcome areas aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: Education, Health and Wellbeing, Employability, Inclusion, Peace Building, and Gender Equity.
Thursday’s celebration was a reminder that joy, connection, and collective purpose are not only powerful, they’re unstoppable.
(Three grantees enjoying the wonderful atmosphere while playing Rampage; an original arcade game originally manufactured by Bally Midway in 1986. All photos taken by Marqui Merritt.)
“We play. We rise.”
