Giving Compass' Take:

• On her visit to Puerto Rico, Anna R. Hurt at LISC writes how she learned of the uniting power of sports and how they are a vital resource that brings the neighborhood together and boosts local economies after a disaster.

• How can donors invest in their communities to prepare for potential disasters? What’s to come next for disaster philanthropy and preparation?

• Here are some basic tips to lead you in disaster giving. 

At my home in Puerto Rico, there is a baseball field literally at the end of the driveway. I have only to walk across the street and I am there. In the months I have lived there, I have seen first-hand what a small, neighborhood field means to a community. Teams practice there several times a week— sometimes small boys and girls (with every father out there on the field, too). Other times, older youth, under the instruction of a coach, running drills while their parents sit in the stands, wander over to the bakery across the way, or walk around our block for their own exercise until practice is over.

Last week, as I pulled around the corner, I saw a father and son out there, the father pitching him batting practice, pausing to talk after each swing. On Saturdays, often there are youth games from morning to early afternoon. On Sundays, adult softball tournaments. Sometimes I wander over on weekends to watch, talk to friends and neighbors and have a few drinks and some food.

All of this is worth writing because it demonstrates the most important piece of LISC’s Play Ball Again project: sports is community. It is fathers and sons. It is parents sharing news and information with each other because they see each other so regularly. It is the bakery getting a boost in sales several nights a week from foot traffic to the field and hungry team members. It is neighbors and friends stopping by a local tournament to spend time together. (It’s also the field where I crawl under the gate to get some swings in after a long day, but keep that on the down low). Those things are what make us part of community.

Read the full article about using sports to unite a community after a disaster by Anna R. Hurt at LISC.