Neenah’s Arnold making his mark off the field
Evan Arnold, a senior lacrosse player at Neenah High School has had some terrific accomplishments on the field, he was among the statistical leaders for a team that won the conference championship and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Wisconsin Division 1 state tournament.
But what separates Arnold is all the work he does off the field for underprivileged youth.
Arnold started helping the kids in his community at a very young age. At age 9, he created Step Up To The Plate, a foundation that provides baseball equipment to boys and girls that do not have access to it.
The foundation has enjoyed a tremendous amount of success. Since launching Step Up To The Plate, the donations have helped create athletic programs to target a-risk youth in Northeast Wisconsin.
However, the impact of Step Up To The Plate has been felt far beyond Northeast Wisconsin. Arnold has completed 138 projects; which in turn have delivered $55,000 of baseball equipment to kids in 40 countries.
In addition to Step Up to the Plate, Arnold put on two baseball clinics in Phoenix, Arizona for 50 kids who come from broken homes. Those two clinics, including one at Sunshine Acres Orphanage in Phoenix, are the most meaningful of all charitable efforts to Arnold.
“It really made me feel good seeing their faces light up once they picked up a bat of their own and a glove of their own,” Said Arnold, “just to see the happiness it brought them.”
While Arnold has made his mark on the lacrosse field for Neenah High School, his true love is baseball. It is what initially made him want to get involved in helping the youth.
“What really drove me to get involved and help people was my passion for baseball,” said Arnold, “I feel like everyone should be able to experience the game that I love so much and has given me a ton.”
In addition to Step Up To The Plate, Arnold also is the head of another foundation, Peace is the Goal, Inc. Peace is the Goal is a nonprofit organization that delivers soccer equipment to underprivileged youth throughout Wisconsin, and across the World.
Peace is the Goal, much like Step Up To The Plate has provided kids across the world with access to sports equipment that they otherwise would not have had. To date, Peace is the Goal has raised $100,000 worth of soccer equipment to kids in 140 countries.
The I AM SPORT Award recognizes high school athletes who are committed to giving back to the youth in their communities. The winners will be announced at Wisconsin High School Sports Awards on May 11th and at the Journal Sentinel High School Sports Awards on May 14th.
Arnold took over the role of President from his brother six months ago, and it has reached new heights with Evan at the helm.
Since taking over the role of president, Evan has significantly increased the number of projects completed and also has plans for local and national on-site events.
What stands out about Arnold is how nonchalant he seems to be about all the work he has done. Typically, a high school athlete is busy enough during the week with athletics combined with academics, and yet Arnold also runs two foundations as well and it does not appear to faze the 17 year-old.
“Get home, take care of all lacrosse stuff I have, and see what there is to do, see what new places we can ship to.” Says Arnold very matter-of-factly. “It pretty much all works out where in a week, you have a few hours to work on it.”
Arnold will be attending the University of Wisconsin Whitewater next fall and plans to continue to help the less fortunate through his work with Step Up To The Plate and Peace Is the Goal.
Athletes are o en recognized for the work they do on the field. The 2018 Wisconsin High School Sports Awards recognizes those accomplishments but also highlights positive impacts off the field via the I AM SPORT Award, presented by the Milwaukee Bucks.