Our Work

The OHSAA Foundation serves both student athletes and the communities where our member schools are located throughout Ohio. We do this by providing opportunities for students to come together to develop their own leadership skills and by sponsoring Foundation games with the ticket proceeds going to assist a local community need.

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Student Leadership

The OHSAA Foundation Student Leadership Conferences are presented at no cost to OHSAA member schools. Each year featured speakers such as Jack Hanna, Director Emeritus of the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium; Mary Wineberg, 2008 Track and Field Olympic Gold Medal winner; Billy Conlon, Wright State Men’s Head Basketball Coach; Tom Ryan, OSU Wrestling Head Coach; Toni Roesch, former OSU women’s basketball player and radio and TV commentator, along with many others, address leadership, teamwork, sportsmanship, role-modeling, and citizenship. The conference is recorded so it can be viewed by students across the state after the live event is held.

Foundation Games

Member schools are permitted to use one of their five allotted basketball scrimmages to play a Foundation game, a regulation game under all normal game conditions which does not count against a team’s record. Through this initiative, Ohio student-athletes generated over $500,000 for charitable organizations and causes across the nation and beyond such as:

"Just Stay Warm" Project
"Heroes Over Heroin" Project
Brooks Family Donation for Leukemia
"Home for Kids"
"The D.A.L.E. Program"
Puerto Rico Relief

Each participating school [or their sponsor(s)] makes a $250 contribution to the OHSAA Foundation, which is used to allow the Foundation’s continuation of its leadership conferences and education materials for student-athletes in ALL sports. All ticket proceeds from the game go to the school's chosen charity organization.

Foundation Game application

Service Week

The OHSAA Foundation created a new statewide community service initiative in 2008 called "OHSAA Foundation Services Week." This initiative was put on hold several years ago but will be brought back during the 2023-24 school year with a goal of raising over $100,000 for local community charities.

OHSAA Foundation Service Week provides an opportunity for Ohio student-athletes to: make a positive impact in their community as well as to receive community service credit towards graduation.

National Student Leadership Conference

Each year Ohio sends a group of students to the National Student Leadership Conference run by the National Federation of High Schools. Students attend free of charge and gain valuable insights from leading speakers, while getting to interact with other student leaders from across the country.