Our mission
Helping children in hard places live their best lives, utilizing play.
Play builds creative thinking, new neural pathways, friendships, and strong bodies. For a child growing up in a refugee camp, a ball is also something simpler: an ordinary, happy afternoon.
We send durable play equipment around the world with aid organizations already serving these families, so toys reach the children who would otherwise be missed. Once kids are playing, we turn to the next need: education, especially in unincorporated camps.
How a ball reaches a child
From a Utah warehouse to a dirt field
We may be small, but we know how to make a little go a long way. With volunteers at our heart and children at the center of every decision, we turn modest resources into meaningful opportunities.
Gather
Donations buy durable balls and toys. Ollie's Army volunteers collect and sort in-kind gifts.
Deliver
Partner aid organizations carry them into camps and villages they already serve.
Play
Kids run, laugh, and build friendships, often within minutes of the bag opening.
Learn
With play in place, we work toward educational resources for the same children.
Our balls
Built for rocks, heat, and 13 years of play.
A typical soccer ball can be worn out in a few hours on the rocky ground of a remote village or refugee camp. The balls we send are made to survive those fields, and can last up to thirteen years.
From the field
What a ball can do in an afternoon
Photos from deliveries with our partners. Hover to pause.
The sound of a bag of balls opening is pure joy.
Volunteers carry the balls in. A few seconds later, the whole classroom is on its feet.
Where we work
13 countries and counting
We use migration data to find where need is greatest, then partner with organizations already serving refugee and low-income families on the ground.
There is a word hidden in his name.
Why we exist
For Oliver
Oliver Bauer was the second son of Jared and Sarah Bauer. He was a happy baby, remembered for his bright blue eyes and the way he held on to your finger.
A hole in his heart went undiagnosed for six months. While he was getting ready for surgery he caught the flu, and he died in his father's arms at Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City. He was eight months old.
His family was stunned by how much one small life touched the people around him. Jared and Sarah started The Oliver Fund in 2013 to keep that going, by helping children around the world have happier lives and better circumstances.
In loving memory of Oliver
The podcast
The Art of Play
Hosted by Sarah Bauer, Executive Director of The Oliver Fund. 69 episodes on how play shapes relationships, work, marriage, family, and self care.
Play
The Oliver FundBrings play to children who have lost it.
The Art of PlayHelps the rest of us find it again.
Six episodes to start with
Browse all 69- 01Play: A How ToStart hereWhat play is, why it matters, and how grown-ups can get it back. Sarah introduces the show and The Oliver Fund.
- 04Yes, And, with Megan BryantAn improv trainer shows how the "yes, and" mindset works in everyday life.
- 09Backstory to BoiseOur storySarah and Jared on why play became a core value for their family, and how they got there.
- 15Play: The First Stress BusterThe research on play and stress, and why adding fun to your day is nothing to feel guilty about.
- 22Rebellion of PlayWhy play in adulthood builds creativity and opens new pathways for learning.
- 57The Next Gen of KindnessQuick, warm, lightning-round interviews about what kindness looks like.
About Sarah Bauer
Sarah has led The Oliver Fund as Executive Director since 2013, building partnerships that have carried play and learning resources to children in 13 countries. She is a doctoral candidate (ABD) in Human Development and Social Policy at the University of Utah, where she teaches Lifespan Human Development, and she holds an MBA. The Art of Play grew out of that work: a research-based conversation about why play matters at every age.
- Board member, Playworks Utah
- Family Advisory Council, Primary Children's Hospital
- Instructor, University of Utah
- Community Director, Ollie's Army
Board of Trustees: Jared Bauer, MBA · Brad Bauer · Lorie Bauer
Every episode is free. If one makes you smile, pass the joy along to a child who needs it.
Send a ball
Here at home
Ollie's Army
Ollie's Army is our all-volunteer crew in Utah. We rally to meet the needs of our neighbors, near and far. From assembling learning and hygiene kits to gathering school supplies, sharing books, serving meals, and moving warehouses, our volunteers show up wherever helping hands are needed.
Families, friends, and neighbors come together to turn small acts of service into meaningful impact.
- Packsort and box donated supplies
- Welcomesupport refugee families in Utah
- Shipsend play and school kits abroad
Get involved
Help a child live a little lighter
Your gift goes to balls and toys and to getting them into children's hands.
Give
Donate securely
One-time gifts are processed through Stripe. The Oliver Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Volunteer
Join Ollie's Army
Our volunteer crew collects in-kind donations for refugee families here in Utah and for camps overseas. Bring a friend, a youth group, or your whole team.
Partner
Carry play with us
If your organization serves children in refugee camps or developing communities, we would love to send toys with you.
Contact us
Say hello
Want to volunteer, partner, host a supply drive, or talk about the podcast? Send us a note. A real person from our volunteer team reads every message.
- Instagram@theoliverfund
- FacebookThe Oliver Fund
- DonationsGive securely through Stripe
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