United Drives to collect arts and craft supplies during month of September

Throughout the 2011 Major League Soccer season, D.C. United collects items at every home game 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’s Foundation MidAtlantic. As a D.C. United signature program, United Drives assigns a different charity drive for each month of the MLS regular season, including the collection of games, toys, food, children’s books, and soccer equipment. 

Starlight Children’s Foundation MidAtlantic helps seriously ill children and their families that are undergoing medical treatment cope with their pain, fear and isolation by providing entertainment, education and family activities. 

This year, D.C. United initiated a United Drives Challenge to help encourage and create an opportunity for elementary and middle schools to give back to the community.  It provides a competition between D.C. area schools to collect the greatest amount of United Drives items each month.  The monthly winners will receive a pizza party with a D.C. United player to celebrate the schools’ achievement.  If your institution is interested in taking The Challenge, please contact D.C. United’s Community Relations Department. 

Additionally, all fans that donate 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 Booth outside RFK Stadium’s Gate A, and is open from two hours prior to the game until 15 minutes after kickoff. 

Donations are also accepted in the D.C. United offices on non-game days, located on the fourth floor of Gate A.  This season marks the eighth year of the United Drives campaign, which collects much-needed items to help with each beneficiary mission. 

For more information on United 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, Emma Samms, and Steven Spielberg, today Starlight Children’s Foundation™ is the leading organization in the nation providing fun in the hospital, in the community, and on the Web for seriously ill children and their families. In 2010, Starlight MidAtlantic provided a record 2 million hours of entertainment to more than 200,000 children receiving treatment at 154 hospitals throughout our six-state region.