About Us

After-School All-Stars (ASAS) was founded in 1992 by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to reach out to at-risk youth in need of developing self-esteem and personal values. When he saw the powerful impact it had on its young participants, he was inspired to establish the Inner City Games Foundation (ICGF) so that ICG could be launched in other cities. Between 1993 and 2000, ICGF successfully expanded to 15 other cities across the country, with the Columbus, Ohio, chapter instituted and given its 501(c)(3) status in 1999.

As the organization grew, Arnold Schwarzenegger continued to become more involved in youth advocacy. Upon reading studies about increasing youth violence, drug use, and other delinquent behavior during after-school hours, he decided to further expand the organization to focus on multi-faceted, year-round comprehensive programs rather than short-term sports and fitness programs. He felt passionately about providing at-risk children a safe place to occupy themselves while participating in productive activities in the tradition of ICGF. So in 2002, ICGF became After-School All-Stars to reflect the transition.

Today, ASAS serves 78,000 children on 400+ school sites in 13 cities across the United States, with 84% of the children from families of poverty.  The majority of programs are based on school-sites to provide a strong link to the regular school day, staffed by well-prepared and dedicated instructors, and offer a combination of academics, enrichment, and physical fitness activities.  According to a recent study published by the Harvard Family Research Center, such characteristics of after-school programs are critical for academic, social and emotional succss in youth.