Newsletter: May 2021

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Back on the field!

While Zoom soccer sessions have been fun and continue to engage nearly two dozen children multiple times each week, on March 13th we returned to the field for Soccer Saturday for the first time in over a year, and it was wonderful!

We will have hosted a total of nine Soccer Saturdays by the end of our season in mid-May, and are seeing as many as 35 families coming masked and ready to safely play. Happily, our program at Eddystone Elementary has been able to return to live Soccer for Success after-school programming two days each week this spring. We hope to have permission to do the same in Chester and Upland starting next fall. Meanwhile, we will continue offering Zoom sessions for those who enjoy it.

A huge thank you to our team who has been making it all possible:

Amanda Anckaitis, Andrew Grieb, Andrew Kirwan, Andrew Poolman, Asher Laackman, Audrey Stevens, Ben Lau, Caroline M Kunze, Charnelle Taylor, Claire Ross, Colton Anckaitis, Crystal Brooks, Damien Najdek, Dan Keefe, Danielle Kaufman-Sedano, Denise Mosley, Duane M. Buchanan, Elise Molloy, Fiona O’Rourke, Gabriella A Concepcion, Gianna DiGiacomo, Hannah M Berard, Harry Nevins, Jamar Daniels, James M Pavlovsky Jr, Jermaine L. Colon, Jody Zamonski, Joseph Pennewill, Kaitlin Decker, Kelly Nagle, Leland Najdek, Leo-Paul Wahl, Lily Crocker, Luke Macaione, Lucas Molloy, Matt Neeson, Michael Ercolino, Oliver Steinglass, Paul Stinson, Rebecca Putnam, Rosalie Midgette, Rose Matich, Sam Kohl, Sara Long, Shane Ross, Steven Hollern, Tamia Cottman, Tariq Armstead, Thomas Kaplan, Trent Davis, Will Kendall, William Beifeld, Yolanda Jackson, Zach Cades and Zack Rothman.

Click here for our spring season photo gallery!

Click the “play” button below to watch a short thank you video!

This video attempts to illustrate our appreciation for Lifewerks, Kara Barnard Fund for Literacy, Nether United Soccer Club, Chester Eastside Inc, Family & Community Service of Delaware County, the Philadelphia Union, all of our donors, our volunteer coaches from Chester High School, STEM Academy Chester, Strath Haven High School and the Haverford School, and our amazing site directors. Thank you all for supporting Soccer Saturdays and helping us facilitate not only soccer activities but also the distribution of snacks, groceries and books for our participants.

Union Watch Party Fundraiser

We had a lot of fun at the Larimer Brewery a few weeks ago to cheer on the Philadelphia Union’s first ever appearance in the Champions League. We also gratefully raised over $1,000 through that event.

CUYS Provides Assist at Family Summit

Chester Upland Youth Soccer was one of the main attractions at the Spring 2021 Youth and Family Summit hosted by Chester Upland School District, Making a Change Group, and the Chester Boys & Girls Club.

The event was held at Chester High School on a bright and breezy Saturday. Along with playing soccer, kids rode around on a train, attended an ultimate frisbee clinic put on by Strath Haven High School’s team, played basketball and baseball, jumped rope, created art masterpieces, chased bubbles and participated in plenty of other fun activities set to music by a great local DJ.

Full Circle

Another highlight of our live play was seeing CUYS alumni Leland and Damien Najdek! The two grew up participating in Soccer for Success, and have returned to the program as coaches this spring.

Spring Break Book Club

During the Chester Upland School District spring break we were able to provide a virtual book club to 23 families in our program. Special thanks to Madalyn Posternack, who created this program as her Bat Mitzvah service project, as well as the Kara Barnard Youth Literacy Fund, Holcomb Behavioral Health Systems, Harriett’s Bookshop and volunteers Audrey Stevens, Elise Molloy, Martin Micklin and Amanda Anckaitis for making the book club possible!

CUYS in the News

With our return to in-person soccer, we made the front page of the newspaper and a huge spread inside! In the past month we’ve been featured in the Delco Times and the Brotherly Game, and built a news coverage summary page here.

Giving to CUYS

We are delighted to announce that The Foundation for Delaware County has once again generously supported CUYS with a $15,000 Impact Grant.

However, due to changes in funding from other traditional sources, we need your help more than ever. Please do your part to ensure the continuation of programming this fall and beyond. Thanks as always for your support and for helping us spread the word.

DONATE TO CHESTER UPLAND YOUTH SOCCER

Friends of CUYS are eligible for a discount on Arsenal Soccer Camp tuition at programs around the country. Click here for details and to access the coupon code.