Newsletter: November 2020

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View this email in your browser Dear friends, Despite a challenging autumn, we see a lot of smiles here at Chester Upland Youth Soccer! Often those smiles are over Zoom. We have registered 200 children for participation in the online programming that we deliver each week, and everyone seems to be making the most of it, laughing and playing as together as we can be right now.  Sometimes those smiles are in person, behind masks. We've distributed soccer balls, jerseys, books, groceries, clothing and art supplies to most of our students in the weeks since our fall season launched. Many have also earned toys through our Participation Prize Program, which was designed to motivate them to attend sessions regularly, to participate in bonus exercise challenges and to contribute to our new art gallery.  Our generous donors have been making us smile too. We have been fortunate to receive meaningful and encouraging grants from organizations including the Foundation for Delaware County, Delaware County Council, The Community's Foundation, City of Chester, Eddystone Youth Fund, DICK'S Sporting Goods and CCRES. We were also one of three beneficiaries of a creative fundraising campaign led by the Swarthmore women's soccer team, who are involved in our organization in a variety of appreciated ways. Additionally, we have received support for our upcoming Zoom Dance Party (and Fundraiser) from Crozer Health, Wawa, Home Depot, Topps, the Phillies, DICK'S, the Philadelphia Union Foundation, Widener University as well as a host of generous individuals.  Won't you dance with us at our party? It will feature live-by-Zoom music from local musician Bryan Parr and give you a chance to see the beautiful children of Chester enjoying a fun night.  It'll be good for the soul -- and it will surely make you smile too.  Anyone donating $80+ for party admission is eligible to win an appreciation prize given by one of our sponsors.  Register for our Zoom Dance Party at https://donorbox.org/zoom-dance-party and please help us spread the word. Who couldn't use the smile right now? Thanks as always for your consideration and support, Jeannine Jeannine Anckaitis Executive Director, Chester Upland Youth Soccer jeannine@chesteruplandyouthsoccer.org Kickoff - Fall 2020 This fall we have 10 different virtual teams serving 150 children. Each team is led by two Coach-Mentors, a Site Director (a local educator), and a junior coach (a volunteer aged 12-17 who has stepped up as a role model for the younger ones.) The teams meet on Zoom three times each week for 45+ minute after-school sessions that include technical drills, fun games, and nutrition education.  Click here for more information on the Soccer for Success curriculum and click here for our Fall 2020 Soccer Classroom. According to Coach-Mentor Charnelle, "The kids are always just ready to move and excited. [Coach-Mentor] Caroline and I are an awesome team together and [Site Director] Ms. Long always has our back and supports us with the kids. It is a great experience each time we get on Zoom!!" Junior Coach Lucas shared, "I like working with the kids. I like that they come to the Zoom and listen to the directions, try really hard and are doing it well. They want to play and learn and work hard to get better at soccer. That's fun to see." During this unusual season, we also offer some mid-day sessions, thanks to our veteran Site Director Jody Zamonski who proved once again that she is a wonderfully thoughtful teacher. In order to combat Zoom fatigue, Jody asked if we could bring soccer straight to the kids during the school day. Thanks to this great idea, we now send Coach-Mentors into Zoom classrooms full of first, second and third graders at Stetser Elementary to provide the kids with a 30-min soccer break once a week.  Roster Addition   Meet Jessica Feoli, who joined our team to help develop corporate relationships and sponsorships, and has been very successful in her efforts. Jessica will graduate from Widener University in Spring 2021 with an impressive resume and a strong recommendation from us because of her proactively helpful attitude and effective work ethic. Click here to learn more about Jessica and the rest of our team! Game Time!   Have you played Match Attax yet? As you can see at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySegjy2CsYo this popular game is easy and fun to play, and features some of the world's greatest soccer players.    Topps generously gave CUYS many sets of Match Attax to use in fundraising efforts.    While supplies last, anyone who makes a $150 donation will receive a 300-card pack of Topps' Match Attax. For teams that coordinate a group donation, the card packs can easily be divided up and used in tournaments held over Zoom through COVID-19 distancing and beyond.  FC Europa and Nether United 1776 teams have already earned Match Attax sets due to their generous donations, and we still have some to give away.  Click here to earn this special donor appreciation prize and be sure to name your team on the form if donating as part of a group. The Art of Soccer   We recently started a Player (and Coach) Art Gallery on our website. Players can submit art to share with the CUYS family and receive bonus points in our Participation Prize Program. View more of our player art here and add your own by emailing oliver@chesteruplandyouthsoccer.org. Refueling   Thanks to a long-standing partnership with Pastor Chuck Kieffer and his wonderful Lifewerks organization, we have been able to provide healthy groceries at no charge to our players and their families for years. This season we've stepped up that effort, working with additional partners to meet families' needs during this especially difficult time. A number of initiatives are in the works as we approach the holiday season. Please let us know if you would like to be involved. Teamwork   Over the past six weeks we've been the grateful recipients of over $35,000 in funding.   A huge thank you to the following organizations! The Foundation for Delaware County and the Delaware County Council, who thoughtfully designated funding for a first-of-its-kind pandemic relief program for nonprofit organizations  DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation, working to help provide one million kids with access to youth sports by 2024. CCRES, a local organization that provides educational and behavioral health services as well as grants for a variety of organizations including those who provide services to at-risk youth Crozer Health, living up to its tagline "Be Well. Do Good." by stepping up as a Gold Sponsor of our upcoming Zoom Dance Party. Click here to donate to Chester Upland Youth Soccer Oliver SteinglassNovember 2, 2020 Facebook0 Twitter LinkedIn0 Reddit Tumblr Pinterest0 0 Likes Previous Zoom Dance Party Raises the Roof! - and Over $2500 Jeannine AnckaitisNovember 9, 2020 Next A Grateful Fund-Raising Update Jeannine AnckaitisOctober 16, 2020 Chester Upland Youth Soccer 311 E Baltimore Pike, Suite 300, Media, PA 19063 Hours Subscribe to our Newsletter About Our Mission Latest News Contact InstagramFacebookTwitter