High Fives Foundation Featured on ESPN
The High Fives Foundation was recently featured on ESPN after founder Roy Tuscany came upon an article on how coronavirus is changing the culture around high fives. Tuscany reached out and presented another angle on high fives in the age of a global pandemic. Rather than focusing on how the spread of a virus may bring about the end of a high five or a handshake, as a society, we should be focusing on spreading positivity.
The segment starts off with a compilation of athletes rejoicing including LeBron James, Travis Kelce, and Joe Thornton, with a now-familiar gesture, the high five. But it wasn’t always the go-to method of celebration. In fact, the first known high five didn’t even happen until 1977 at an MLB Astros/Dodgers game. ESPN host Kenny Mane opens up with the history of the high five and how COVID-19 is destroying a tradition. But he goes on to say that there is another way to celebrate high fives.
Enter the High Fives Foundation.
Roy Tuscany is introduced and speaks about the good that his Foundation is doing in the name of High Fives. After starting with the history of the High Fives Foundation and his own injury, Tuscany goes on to talk about how a high five can represent spreading joy and inspiration by paying it forward rather than only representing a physical expression of stoke.
High Fives Foundation has paid it forward by supporting 314 athletes and others with life-changing injuries, disbursing $4 million for individuals in 38 states. The group operates a training facility in Truckee, Calif. that provides grants for therapy, recovery, and training, and runs educational programs to promote helmet use and other safety practices. Positivity radiates throughout the non-profit and its activities daily.
While the future of extensive physical contact through high fives, handshakes, and hugs is uncertain as the coronavirus is spread through droplets that can be picked up and then transferred by touching the face, there is still hope in the name.
The High Fives Foundation doesn’t want the high five to go away but wants it to represent doing the things we love rather than physical contact.
Watch the ESPN segment here and spread the love!
