The Community’s Foundation Names CUYS Its “Community Organization of the Year”
The Community’s Foundation (TCF), committed to enhancing and improving the quality of life in Delaware County, PA, has named Chester Upland Youth Soccer (CUYS) its “Community Organization of the Year.”
Chester Upland Youth Soccer uses soccer as a channel to teach healthy living habits and provide mentorship for nearly 500 at-risk students within the Chester, Upland and Eddystone communities. Employing the US Soccer Foundation's Soccer for Success curriculum, the organization’s trained, caring coach-mentors help children and enjoy and embrace an active, healthy lifestyle.
According to TCF's Executive Director, Heather Finnegan "Chester Upland Youth Soccer's program is a 'complete program'. They are using the game of soccer as a tool to teach so much more than just soccer skills. The young people who participate in their programming love it; one youngster in Eddystone said that the people at Soccer for Success were like family, always there for him."
The award was presented virtually at TCF’s Recognition Reception on April 22. Also honored were TCF's scholarship recipients and Project W, recipient of this year's Community Impact Award.
In order to kick off the award process and jumpstart community giving, TCF generously granted each of its awardees an opportunity to direct a portion of TCF’s budget to benefit organizations that serve the local community. Through this imaginative gift, unexpected funding was infused into the local non-profit community at a time when many are in need.
“We partner with and respect the work of so many organizations that support Delaware County’s at-risk children, but when forced to choose only one to receive TCF’s generosity, we selected Pastor Chuck Kieffer’s organization, Lifewerks, which provides food, clothing and books to the families of Stetser Elementary and beyond,” said Jeannine Fallon Anckaitis, Executive Director of Chester Upland Youth Soccer.
According to Pastor Chuck, “Lifewerks' number one focus is to give people the necessary tools to have hope. We seek to extend hope by meeting people at their need, whether it's food, knowledge or personal, so that they know they matter, that they have value and that there is a brighter tomorrow.”
Last year’s recipient of TCF’s “Community Organization of the Year” award was The Breathing Room Foundation, which supports families affected emotionally, physically and financially by a cancer diagnosis.