Our Charities

XL.ENT Soccer (Excelling Exceptional Needs Through Soccer) is the only indoor soccer program in Central Florida that caters to children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). With no emphasis on competition, the group works on their individual soccer skills, balance, coordination, speed and agility; the class focuses on developing basic soccer and social skills and in a safe, fun, pressure-free environment.

To operate XL.ENT, the RIPITT Foundation works with XL Soccer World, the UCF CARD, and PALS. While XL, UCF and PALS provide operational support (coaches, ASD behavioral specialists, facilities) the RIPITT Foundation provides full funding for the program. With all the other priorities that come with raising a child with Autism, paying for organized sports is not at the top of that list. Knowing the role sports can play to help inspire confidence, team-work, empathy and sportsmanship, it is our calling to make sure that financial limitations do not hinder participation.

Since RIPITT’s involvement in the program in early 2017, the program has grown in enrollment by over 50%, adding a new age groups and additional weekly trainings. We fund over 50 scholarships that allow our XL.ENT kids to play soccer every week of the year. You can find our young XL.ENT players at the field every Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, rocking their RIPITT jerseys proudly, building friends and skills that will stay with them for life.

Every child deserves a chance to participate!” Sports 4 the Kids is dedicated to removing the financial barriers of youth sports programs and provides recreational opportunities throughout Central Florida for children in need. We believe every child deserves a chance to participate in athletics, no matter their station in life. Sports 4 the Kids now works together with the RIPITT Foundation to give children these opportunities.

With approximately 10,000 homeless children in the Central Florida area, these kids are never provided an opportunity to participate in sports due to the cost of registration fees and the equipment required. We believe that participation in youth sports can help many of these children get through this difficult time of transition.

Beginning in 2019, the RIPITT Foundation began a partnership with Sports 4 the Kids to expand the reach and impact of their program. The partnership in its first year is focused on reaching children in need in Orange County, FL, expanding the program from its base in Seminole County. In 2019, the RIPITT Foundation and Sports 4 the Kids aim to provide at least 100 impoverished kids in Orange County with scholarships for different local sports programs.

Athlete Connections Foundation provides recreational, educational enrichment programs and activities for youth that teach teamwork, build confidence, enhance character, promote responsibility, and encourage participation to build productive citizens.

Our goal is to target thousands of youth to help develop and expose their athletic talents, so youth may eventually receive athletic and academic achievements, high school diplomas, and college scholarships. The impact of youth sports has demonstrated and improved our youth’s attitudes, self-esteem, grades, relationships, respect for peers and elders as well as reducing crime in the community.

Teamwork, discipline, following instructions, time management, leadership, and sportsmanship are all skills that youth need to be taught on and off the playing courts and fields if they want to be successful young men and women in a world that can sometimes be cruel. With these positive values being reinforced sports programs will continue to be a success. We teach youth not only skills and fundamentals of athletics but skills and fundamentals that will prepare them for life. The skills that are taught are designed to correlate with all life experiences and daily encounters.

The Dedman School of Hospitality is a nationally and internationally recognized institution. Top hospitality organizations hire young men and women each year into entry level management positions. Graduates of the program enjoy top managerial and ownership positions in hotels, resorts, restaurants, clubs and other facets of the hospitality and golf industries. The requirement of a practical, on the job experience, where students apply classroom knowledge to the workplace, prepares the Dedman School of Hospitality graduate for the operations challenges of this industry.

The RIPITT Foundation, Inc has established an endowment in the name of Ian Trent Taylor. The endowment supports annual scholarships to hospitality students of like mind and values. One of the most rewarding benefits of an education in the Dedman School of Hospitality at Florida State University is an environment in which students are given the opportunity to develop to their fullest potential. All of the school’s energies and resources are devoted exclusively to preparing each student for a professional career.

The Jimmy CORE Foundation is a nonprofit organization focusing on providing essential life comforts to the homeless community There are more than 500 000 homeless people in the United States and most are searching for essential life comforts of food, clothing and shelter This number continues to grow and the Jimmy CORE Foundation believes it is their responsibility to help as many of these individuals possible The foundation focuses on providing essential life comforts so that this group can focus energy on returning to their place in society The Jimmy CORE Foundation mission has three goals 1 provide food, clothing and shelter for homeless people 2 educate and inspire others to lift this group up to achieve higher levels of living 3 preserve and maintain the spirit of Jimmy Core.

We all have someone or something that motivates us- it’s who we play for. Who We Play For represents every young person who lost their life to sudden cardiac arrest. Their fight is to ensure that other families, teams, and communities will never know that pain.

Who We Play For brings affordable, efficient, and non-invasive heart screenings to communities across the country.

Who We Play For’s mission is to eliminate preventable sudden cardiac death in the young through affordable heart screenings. Their vision is to inspire & empower schools, sports clubs, and communities to provide heart screenings for every student-athlete and student; no matter their level of athletics, socio-economic status, or geographical location.

By supporting Who We Play For, the RIPITT Foundation helps create opportunities to build life skills through sports by mitigating unnecessary risk for those young athletes with undetected heart problems.