Born and raised in Des Moines, Melissa graduated from Roosevelt High School and received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa. Prior to founding Can Play, she worked in the hospitality industry for 25 years. Melissa lives in West Des Moines with her husband Mike, and their 6 kids, Joe, Matt, Jack, Mari, Nick and Ellie.

As a high school student, Dylan created a baseball league called Opportunity on Deck, which allowed elementary-aged kids in low-socioeconomic areas to participate in a free sports experience. In the years since he has developed a variety of sports-based youth development programs and grown the organization to serve thousands of at-risk youth without ever charging a single participant. In his …