Last week, I had the opportunity to visit with our friends at the Salvation Army – Red Shield, in the Pico Union neighborhood of Los Angeles. Red Shield received a Program grant for equipment and operations in the Foundation’s FY13 Grant Cycle. They used their Foundation funding to purchase uniforms and equipment for their youth and toddler soccer programs, train and pay teen referees, fund stipends for coaches, host family engagement events, and for transportation costs.
Throughout the day, the older players rotated through a number of stations, each of which focused on a different soccer skill. In addition to playing, the participants also got a healthy snack (milk and a banana) and participated in a nutrition lesson. At the end of the session, everyone participated in scrimmages on the beautiful turf field that the Foundation helped fund through a Safe Places to Play grant in 2004. After the older kids were done playing, it was time for Toddler Soccer. They were very excited to get out and run around, and were very proud of their new uniforms. They participated in footwork exercises and then scrimmaged with another group of tykes from a nearby neighborhood center.
The Foundation is proud to work with the Salvation Army – Red Shield to bring soccer programming to this soccer-hungry community. For more information about the great programming provided by the Salvation Army – Red Shield, please visit their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/laredshieldcenter.
