Today’s Ninth Annual United for D.C. Kickoff Luncheon is a great opportunity for fans and sponsors alike to meet new players and staff, greet returning faces and hear from United Head Coach Ben Olsen about the club and his thoughts on the season ahead. There’s much to be excited about ahead on D.C. United’s 16th League campaign.
Sometimes lost in the excitement of these events is their fundraising and charitable functions. Today’s luncheon will raise money to support the foundation’s three key programs, all of which are bigger and better than ever in 2011.
United Reads
The 2010-2011 school year was successfully kicked-off in all six adopted schools. Through a partnership with United Way and their Fun.Fly.Fit program, assemblies were held at each school incorporating player appearances and a fun exercise program. Through a partnership with the Heart of America Foundation, more than 1,600 students were given two age-appropriate books to take home for their personal libraries. In addition, visits were made to the Reading Corners at the Children’s Health Centers.
This spring the United Reads program will continue with two visits at each school, a Reading & Activity challenge and book distribution.
United Soccer Club
On the heals of a successful eight-week campaign at twelve sites and an end of the year tournament last fall, United Soccer Club is set to combine after-school soccer activities with a healthy lifestyles curriculum and formalized metrics again this spring. New to the initiative, though, is USC’s formal participation in the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s Soccer for Success program. As part of this program, United Soccer Club will expand from two days per week to three days per week and from eight weeks to ten weeks per session. The program will continue implementing a re-vamped healthy lifestyles curriculum.
In addition, USC will expand to include two middle school sites. The two middle school teams will maintain a regular practice schedule and enter the DC Scores leagues for games.
Finally, this spring, United Soccer Club will participate with the U.S. Soccer Foundation in taking part in a Stanford University Study to evaluate the effectiveness of our program. USC will benefit from a rigorous qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the program’s success based on participant health and parent/child satisfaction.
Kicks for Kids
As United’s long-running initiative to share games at RFK Stadium with underprivileged children and families, Kicks for Kids returns in 2011 with a detailed plan to serve as a positive experience for those involved. The club is more than half way to their goal and will again provide transportation, tickets and concessions to thousands.
If you are interested in more information or becoming a part of United for D.C., please contact Kate McPhail at kmcphail@dcunited.com. Donate to the foundation via PayPal. There’s always a need for good people supporting these quality initiatives with creative and financial resources.
As Kevin Payne, Dave Kasper, Ben Olsen and our technical staff have been working hard to put a top-quality product on the field for D.C. United this season and to continuing the rapid development of our youth Academy system, the rest of the front office has put in the long hours necessary to be sure all other elements of our business are tended to in advance of the 2011 MLS campaign ahead.
Opening Night on Saturday, March 19 can’t come soon enough for players, staff and supporters alike. Over the ten days leading up to the Columbus game, I’ll walk through the business flow of our offices, sharing insight and updates on strategic development of ideas for the core areas of our focus. Under the leadership of Executive Vice President Stephen Zack, day-to-day business activities work in concert to create a seamless flow of information, activation and promotion, leading to sales. A dedicated customer service staff and high-energy support crew follow-up to maximize these opportunities.
Doug Hicks is D.C. United’s Senior Vice President, Marketing Communications. Follow him on twitter at @DCUDoug.
