Addy Stiverson Awards The Hidden Opponent Grant Through Gatorade

Gatorade Michigan Girls Track & Field Player of the Year, Addy Stiverson, awarded The Hidden Opponent with a $1,000 grant to help accomplish our mission of developing mental health leadership in student-athletes through education, advocacy, and support.

Sports have seen a double-digit decline over the past decade, largely due to tighter community budgets, but young people who participate in sports are found to be happier, healthier, and better students. As part of Gatorade’s commitment to breaking down barriers in sport, every Player of the Year receives a grant to donate to a social impact partner of their choice.

“I chose The Hidden Opponent [as my social impact partner] because I think it’s a resource every student-athlete should have available to them,” said Stiverson. “Whether they need it right now or later in their career.”

All 610 Gatorade State Player of the Year recipients are awarded a grant to donate to a social impact partner of their choice. Each Player of the Year can also submit a video about why their organization is deserving of one of 12 Spotlight Grants, which awards an additional $10,000 to the organization.To date, Player of the Year winners’ grants have totaled more than $6.4 million in grants to winners across more than 2,200 organizations.

“The Gatorade Player of the Year award highlights student-athletes who set an example both on and off the field,” said Cameron Pettigrew, Associate Marketing Manager for Gatorade Player of the Year. “The grants give these athletes a chance to donate to organizations like, The Hidden Opponent, that positively impacts the youth in their own communities.”

Gatorade has a longstanding history of serving athlete communities and its ambition is to continue doing more to create positive change. Most recently, Gatorade announced its Fuel Tomorrow commitment, a multi-year initiative to provide opportunities for everyone to play sports and realize their potential.