AASP Newsletter - January 2021

Justine Vosloo

Justine Vosloo, PhD, CMPC, Chair of the AASP Foundation, Ithaca College

Greetings AASP members! I sincerely hope that you are healthy and safe during this difficult time in the world. As Chair of the AASP Foundation, I would like to share some information about the mission of the Foundation and a summary of our work in 2020. But firstly, I think it is important to note that the Foundation Committee welcomes your input and ideas as we ultimately are here to support and further the goals of the AASP membership.

The AASP Foundation pursues the mission of advancing AASP’s charitable, educational, and scientific objectives and purposes. The founding chair of the committee was the legendary Michael Sachs, who left massive shoes to fill when I took over as chair in January 2019. During Michael’s tenure, the Foundation established its purpose to advance education, training, and research programs by establishing multiple awards to recognize the important work and accomplishments of our members. These awards include: the Early Career Practitioner Award; Distinguished Mentor Award; Distinguished Applied Contribution Award; Sharing Knowledge Award; Student Award for Excellence in Science Practitioner Endeavors; and Student/Early Career Professional Award for Science and Practice in Public Health Endeavors. A description of each award is available on the AASP Awards webpage. Importantly, these awards serve to recognize members, at various stages of career, engaged in work that represents a full breadth of the important efforts visible within our members. Check out the 2020 award recipients here. 2021 award applications are due March 1!

In addition, the Foundation has committed three years of financial support to aid in the establishment of the Journal for Advancing Sport Psychology in Research (JASPR). This journal is focused on providing an outlet for undergraduate and graduate student-led scholarly work. The Foundation also provides funds for research through the Gualberto Cremades International Research Grant, which awards up to $1,000 per year. Finally, the Community Outreach/Research Seed Grants, which provide up to $4,000 per year/$1,000 per quarter, funds grant proposals specifically for early career professionals/pre-tenured faculty or students.

The Foundation frequently considers proposals from the membership regarding new awards or grants. For example, the International Relations Committee proposed the Cremades International Research Grant to memorialize Gualberto after his tragic passing, by honoring his legacy of supporting international and cross-cultural research within our field. Recently, the Foundation also approved a proposal from the Teaching Sport and Exercise Special Interest Group to add a new Teaching Excellence Award acknowledging the excellent, creative, and impactful educators among our membership. Applications are being accepted in the 2021 awards cycle. Initiatives like these illustrate the Foundation’s commitment to supporting the AASP membership. Please consider submitting a grant application, or award nomination for yourself or a colleague, in 2021. We want to support you and recognize your work!

To support these wonderful efforts, the Foundation raises funds from the membership. Since our inception, most of our funding has come from the little tick-box you check to donate to the AASP Foundation when you renew your membership or register for the conference. The vast majority of the donations we receive are small-dollar donations ranging from $5 to $200. We are immensely grateful for each dollar donated! We also greatly appreciate the members who have included the AASP Foundation in their estate planning. In 2020, with so many important organizations doing the exceptionally challenging work of supporting those in need during the pandemic, we recognize that you might not have much to spare now. Within this context, I share the initiatives that the Foundation supports, and kindly request that you contribute any amount you can to further our efforts. You can donate when you renew your membership for 2021, or you can visit: https://appliedsportpsych.org/donate/

With an eye toward the prospect of rejuvenation that 2021 might hold, I share a brief summary of some of the initiatives currently under consideration for the immediate future. First, we recognize that we cannot fully expand our reach as a Foundation by relying solely on the donations from the membership; so, we are currently examining various ideas for soliciting outside donations/collaborations or partnerships that could create additional funding for Foundation initiatives starting in 2022. Secondly, we also plan to host a “Day of Giving” sometime in 2021 to generate additional funds. Finally, we are also examining ways to spend those funds strategically and charitably. For example, we are exploring ideas for new initiatives and collaborations to support the strategic plan and further the public’s awareness of AASP, while also contributing to the social justice efforts within, and outside of, our organization. If you have any ideas or initiatives you would like the Foundation to support, please get in touch with me via email: jvosloo@ithaca.edu, or submit a formal proposal to sbeier@hollandparlette.com. The Foundation thanks you for your support. Have a safe and meaningful 2021!