Throughoutthe 2011 Major League Soccer season, D.C. United collects items at every homegame to benefit pre-determined non-profit organizations within the Washington,D.C. Metropolitan Area. This September,the club will collect arts and crafts supplies to benefit Starlight Children’sFoundation MidAtlantic. As a D.C. Unitedsignature program, United Drives assigns a different charity drive for eachmonth of the MLS regular season, including the collection of games, toys, food,children’s books, and soccer equipment.
Starlight Children’s Foundation MidAtlantic helps seriouslyill children and their families that are undergoing medical treatment cope withtheir pain, fear and isolation by providing entertainment, education and familyactivities.
This year, D.C. United initiateda United Drives Challenge to help encourage and create an opportunity forelementary and middle schools to give back to the community. It provides a competition between D.C. areaschools to collect the greatest amount of United Drives items each month. The monthly winners will receive a pizzaparty with a D.C. United player to celebrate the schools’ achievement. If your institution is interested in takingThe Challenge, please contact D.C. United’s Community Relations Department.
Additionally, all fans thatdonate an item will receive a “Buy One, Get One Free” ticket voucher,redeemable for a 2011 regular season home game. The collection bin on game days is located at the United Drives Boothoutside RFK Stadium’s Gate A, and is open from two hours prior to the gameuntil 15 minutes after kickoff.
Donations are also acceptedin the D.C. United offices on non-game days, located on the fourth floor ofGate A. This season marks the eighthyear of the United Drives campaign, which collects much-needed items to helpwith each beneficiary mission.
For more information onUnited Drives or any of the D.C. United’s community initiatives, please call(202) 587-5000.
About Starlight Children’s Foundation™
Founded in the mid 1980’s by Peter Samuelson, EmmaSamms, and Steven Spielberg, today Starlight Children’s Foundation™ is theleading organization in the nation providing fun in the hospital, in thecommunity, and on the Web for seriously ill children and their families. In2010, Starlight MidAtlantic provided a record 2 million hours of entertainmentto more than 200,000 children receiving treatment at 154 hospitals throughoutour six-state region.
