Phoenix Rising FC Youth Soccer’s Competitive Program has children with amazing stories that we have supported in the past.
Consider the 16-year-old boy who lives in a mobile home with his two siblings, his mother (a domestic worker), and his father (a day laborer). The boy, described as “the heart and soul of this team” by his coach, travels 45 minutes each way to practice three days a week, assists in caring for his younger siblings, and currently has a 3.95 grade point average. He hopes to become a pediatric neurosurgeon. Or, meet the 15-year-old girl who serves as the captain of her team and was once described as, “a warrior and consummate team player” by her coach. Her father recently passed away, leaving her mother and two siblings (both of whom are in the Club) without steady income. This young woman told us, “I find peace on the soccer pitch with my teammates.” She has a 3.85 grade point average and hopes to become a teacher.
These represent only two stories of many. We feel compelled to assist young people like them in being able to find peace as well as be part of teams that are competitive, sources of connection, and normalcy. There are several stories in our Club like these. We want to support children to help them achieve their life goals; one way of doing this is by attending college through their gifts as soccer players. The Club has sent over 1,000 players to college in the past decade – playing for institutions from Stanford University to Arizona Christian University to Paradise Valley Community College and everywhere in between. Many of those young people have come back to the Valley and are now teachers, lawyers, doctors, moms, and dads.
There are many parents in the Club who support these players by giving to the Club’s Foundation. We once had a parent of another player on a team, when asked why he contributed to the Foundation write, “These kids deserve a chance. And my son, who has spent his entire life in privilege learns so much from the teammates we support. He has come to understand what dedication and hard work really means, and he’s a better person because of his interactions with these young people.”
While, we believe it is important to support elite players, it is equally important to support and develop a love of the game. Our goal is to create weekly soccer activities working with youth in Anthem, Prescott, Glendale, South Scottsdale, and the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community. In some of these communities, the childhood obesity and diabetes rates are over 50%. We believe that promoting an active lifestyle through weekly soccer training will both address some of the health challenges and grow the love of the game. The training will be assisted by elite players in the Club, thereby completing the cycle of “kids giving back to kids” and of preparing our young people with the understanding and importance of giving back to their community.
Please help us by donating today!
If you would like to donate, we encourage you to do so by clicking the link here.
