Beyond Sports: Bringing Athletics and Academics Together
The Beyond Sports Foundation (BSF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to uniting athletics and academics to provide underserved student-athletes with the training and guidance they need to succeed in their sport, in the classroom, and ultimately in life. Our services are provided to qualified high school student-athletes that require financial assistance for athletic training, academic support, and college recruiting. Recipients receive extensive academic support, advanced athletic training and assistance with basic social skills. These activities allow the student-athletes to gain an advantage in the classroom and in their sport they otherwise would have missed. The goal is to place each student-athlete in an affordable and appropriate college environment with a full or partial NCAA scholarship.
Our History
Although the Beyond Sports Foundation was established in 2009 as a 501(C) 3 charitable not-for-profit, the Beyond Sports Program has existed since 2003. In 2003, Elias Karras, the owner of the Executive Fitness Training (EFT) Sports Performance Training Center, began working with two very talented high school student athletes from underserved areas in Chicago who needed the services of the EFT Performance Training Center, but could not afford to pay for the training. Elias personally trained the student athletes, and during the course of providing individual sports development to the high school athletes, he discovered that these young men needed assistance in several other vital areas such as academics, college preparation, and social development. Elias realized there was a great need for a program to assist talented student athletes who could not afford the resources needed to excel in athletics, academics and gain access to NCAA scholarships, college education and professional sports opportunities. To this end, BSF was started in 2003 and in 2009 officially became the Beyond Sports Foundation.
