FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Krista Washington, kwashington@ussoccerfoundation.org, 202-872-6662
Washington, D.C. – On Tuesday, May 15, twenty-six participants from the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s Soccer for Success program will join First Lady Michelle Obama and MLS Cup champion, the LA Galaxy, for a soccer clinic on the South Lawn of the White House.
Soccer for Success is the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s after-school, sports-based youth development program that uses soccer as a tool to combat childhood obesity and provides nutrition education and mentorship to children in urban underserved communities. The U.S. Soccer Foundation currently runs Soccer for Success in eight major U.S. cities and serves approximately 8,000 children. Over the next year, the Foundation will expand Soccer for Success to serve approximately 15,000 children in 18 cities nationwide. Youth participants in the Let’s Move! soccer clinic are from the Soccer for Success programs in Houston, TX, Washington, DC and Miami, FL. The Houston Parks and Recreation Department, United for D.C. and the YMCA of Greater Miami, respectively, partner with the U.S. Soccer Foundation to implement Soccer for Success in those cities.
“We are delighted that the White House and Let’s Move! have invited the Foundation to participate in an event that celebrates physical activity and is using soccer as a vehicle to engage children,” said Ed Foster-Simeon, President & CEO of the U.S. Soccer Foundation. “We believe that soccer provides children with both health and social benefits. By engaging children in a quality program like Soccer for Success, we can use soccer as a tool for social change and help impact the well-being of children nationwide.”
For more information about Soccer for Success, visit www.ussoccerfoundation.org/our-programs/soccer-for-success.
TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2012
2:05 PM EDT: The President’s Remarks Honoring the MLS Cup Champion LA Galaxy
Media Coverage: The President’s remarks honoring the Galaxy and the soccer clinic on the South Lawn will be open press.
3:00 PM EDT: The First Lady’s South Lawn Soccer Clinic with students and the LA Galaxy
Media Coverage: The First Lady’s remarks and the soccer clinic with students are both open press.
RSVP: Members of the media who wish to cover one or both of these events must RSVP to media_affairs@who.eop.gov with the subject line “LA Galaxy” before 12:00PM EDT, Monday, May 14. Please indicate which event you would like to cover. NOTE: Members of the media who do not have a White House hard pass must also submit their full name, date of birth, Social Security number, gender, country of birth, country of citizenship and current city and state of residence.
About the U.S. Soccer Foundation
The U.S. Soccer Foundation is the Major Charitable Arm of Soccer in the United States. Established in 1994, the U.S. Soccer Foundation has invested more than $57 million in all 50 states. The U.S. Soccer Foundation supports programs and field building projects that provide underserved youth in urban communities with opportunities that promote education, healthy lifestyles, leadership and positive alternatives to drugs, crime and other at-risk behaviors.
Editor Note: When referring to the U.S. Soccer Foundation, the Major Charitable Arm of Soccer in the United States, please refer to the organization only as the U.S. Soccer Foundation or the Foundation. We are a separate entity from USSF/ US/U.S. Soccer. Furthermore, please format “U.S.” with periods and never without. We appreciate your cooperation.
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