Join us for S6:EP11 of the Sports Philanthropy Podcast as Nicole Fernandez, founder of Game Time Foundation sits down with our host; Roy Kessel to share her journey and how she is working to transform lives by providing sports equipment to children in Columbia.
Nicole was born and raised in Miami, FL. Her parents are from Barranquilla, Colombia. Nicole is a freelance sports journalist, content creator and philanthropist. She is bilingual and fluent in both English & Spanish. Since May 2021, she has been working with Las Mayores- Major League Baseball– currently a Spanish Senior Associate Coordinator, Social Media Marketing & Innovation.
Nicole has a passion for sports (especially baseball) journalism and how both bring people together. She also have passion for creating content for social media and being a storyteller through social media platforms.
Nicole started Game Time Foundation in 2014. As a journalist Nicole believes it is her job to listen to our community and help by giving voices to those who don’t have it. She put her career to the side to start something bigger than herself. She started GTF also as a way to help her parent’s country through the help of her community. Nicole is proud American with her latin background and GTF was a way to honor both.
MISSION :
“Every child should have access to sports & use that platform to learn & grow as an individual.”
VISION:
“Empowering children by providing sports essentials, teaching sportsmanship & hosting impactful life conversations.”
In 9 years, Game Time Foundation has helped more than 3,300 children in 3 countries in which more than 5,000lbs of equipment have been donated. GTF collects equipment in South Florida and donates them to children in respective teams that need the support.
Started by Nicole Fernandez, GTF contributes mostly to the growth of baseball in Colombia, but also added softball and soccer, which soccer has also been a strong sport. During the pandemic GTF expanded to Puerto Rico ( baseball) and Honduras ( soccer).
Nicole started GTF because after doing an interview for my youtube channel in 2013. She was inspired by a little boy who loved the game- he never told her to help him with a bat or glove, he just told her he loved baseball.
In 2022 alone around 300 children have been helped, in 2 countries 5 towns, in which more than 700 lbs of equipment have been donated.
Highlights of Nicole’s Podcast
- 00:30 Background and overview of Game Time Foundation
- 02:00 Nicole’s inspiration in sports
- 04:00 Impact of social media
- 06:00 Dangers of social media
- 08:30 Changes in media coverage and required immediacy
- 10:00 Developing the love of baseball
- 12:00 Rise of TikTok
- 13:30 Idea for starting Game Time Foundation
- 16:00 Building a strong organization
- 17:30 Vision for the next few years
- 20:00 Best ways to help Game Time Foundation
- 22:00 Process of collecting sports equipment
- 26:30 Equipment being stolen when shipped to other countries
- 28:30 Nicole as Commissioner of FIFA
Website and Social Media
- Website: https://gametimefoundation.org
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/gametimefound
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/gametimefound
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/gametimefound
