CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Gearing up for greatness.
“Next week, Charlotte's Jump rope team Jumping Dreams is heading to Houston Texas first time ever for the Jr. Olympics," Jumping Dreams Double Dutch founder Angelicka Crawford said.
Jumping Dreams Double Dutch is the only team representing Charlotte for the AAU 2021 Jr. Olympics. Crawford calls it a legacy in the making.
She launched the team in September 2017. “Girls they usually only have cheerleading or dancing so we said let’s do something athletic that girls can do to that’s also fun," Crawford said.
The mission is to give back to the community through fitness and nutrition but to also build life skills through mentoring.
“When we go to competitions I always sneak in college tours so students can see schools outside of Charlotte," Crawford said.
They also partner with the Charlotte Boys and Girls Club to feed kids in need with donations from the community.
“During the pandemic, we fed about 20,000 kids," Crawford said.
But now as the team gets ready to head to Texas to compete, they need help of their own.
Every weekend the team has been fundraising to help support their trip but Crawford told our Ruby Durham, they’re still $3,000 short.
“One of the families in our program is a family of nine and out of nine three of their youngest is in our program so we’re doing everything we can so those kids are able to come," Crawford said.
“We’re hoping we make a great impact so next year they’re wondering what Charlotte is doing.”
To donate visit www.jumpingdreamsdd.org.
Contact Ruby Durham at rdurham@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.