- Smyl / Foter / CC BY-NC-SA
Partnership brings soccer to the city
Wilmington-based developer Buccini/Pollin Group, Inc. (BPG), along with Delaware Rush Soccer Club, The Boys and Girls Club of Delaware and The Philadelphia Union Foundation announced a collaboration on a children’s soccer program in Wilmington this fall.
The program is open to the children enrolled in before and after care through the Boys & Girls Club at the H. Fletcher Brown Club and will run for eight weeks.
Sessions will accommodate up to thirty participating children ranging from eight to ten years-old.
The goal of the soccer program is to provide Wilmington children whose families may not have the resources to pay for costs, the opportunity to play an organized sport and reap the benefits from it.
According to a recent article in the Boston Globe, How Soccer Helps Boost Inner-City Diversity, “…on top of the roughly four million registered youth soccer players in America, there are at least 1 million kids who want to be playing soccer but are not because they don’t have the opportunity.” Unfortunately for many, soccer is mostly found in American suburbs unlike in other countries where it is accessible across economic classes.
Robert Buccini, co-president of BPG said, “BPG is proud to sponsor this project which exposes a broader sector of the community to youth soccer and instruction at the highest level through Delaware Rush with the support of the Boys and Girls Club. BPG is to underwrite $3,000 for the program.
The Delaware Rush Soccer Club will be supplying equipment and coaches for the program. Stephen Cavalier, director of coaching for Delaware Rush, will be using a USSF curriculum for the licensed on-site coach that will be running the program.
“This collaboration exemplifies Delaware Rush’s mission of ‘Soccer For All,” said Cavalier. “I don’t know of anywhere downtown that currently serves this purpose. This will teach kids valuable life lessons that they can utilize for the rest of their lives. We hope to continue this program through the Winter and Spring, as well as create scholarships for those individuals who want to pursue soccer in the future and play through Delaware Rush. This will be a great way to connect several organizations in the city to create opportunities for kids. Additionally, Nativity Preparatory, Wilmington Friends and Salesianum schools are helping to support the cause.”
The Philadelphia Union Foundation is also contributing to the cause by providing sporting equipment and team shirts. Buccini is a partner in a professional soccer team.
John Wellons, chief of staff at The Boys & Girls Club of Delaware, an organization which serves 3,000 Delaware children ages 6-19 daily, is helping to spearhead the project and greatly appreciates the joint effort. “We are very appreciative to Delaware Rush for providing the coaches and staff, BPG for the funding and to the Philadelphia Union Foundation for presenting the necessary equipment such as protective gear and jerseys. We are excited to expose the kids to this fantastic program and new opportunity.”
Wegmans making Food Bank contribution
Wegmans Food Markets will donate a truckload of nearly 18,000 pounds of non-perishable food to four community organizations at its newest location in Glen Mills. This donation takes place just one month before the 111,000 square-foot store opens on Sunday, November 8 at 7 a.m.
A team of Wegmans employees will join representatives from Philabundance, Pennsylvania Cityteam, the Kennett Area Food Cupboard, and the Food Bank of Delaware today to help unload a Wegmans tractor trailer filled with 20 pallets of canned soups, canned vegetables and fruit, peanut butter, canned tuna, cereal, juice, and other products. The food will then be loaded onto four separate trucks for distribution to each organization.
“It’s a privilege to provide this truckload of food that will help serve the needs of our new neighbors,” said Todd Strassner Jr., Wegmans Concordville store manager. “Feeding the hungry is an important way we make a difference in the communities where our customers and employees live and work.”
In 2014, Wegmans donated approximately 13.5 million pounds of food to local food banks, food pantries, and soup kitchens across all of its market areas.
SoDel Cares raises $67,000
SoDel Cares – a philanthropic organization founded to honor the work of restaurateur Matt Haley, raised $67,000 at the nonprofit’s first fund-raiser, a sold-out event held last month at Fish On in Lewes.
“It was exciting to see so many customers and friends come out to support SoDel Cares, which means so much to our SoDel family,” said Scott Kammerer, founder of SoDel Cares,
SoDel Cares was inspired by company founder Matt Haley, who was recognized locally and nationally for his generosity and philanthropy. He died n August 2014. “We are dedicated to continuing Matt’s mission,” Kammerer said. “He was a great man committed to so many ideals, one of the most important of which is to do whatever you can to help those less fortunate.”
Among the silent auction items was Haley’s 2013 Moto Guzzi, an Italian motorcycle, which was purchased for $8,500. Guests also bid on a four-day, three-night stay at the Conti di San Bonifacio Wine Resort in Tuscany, which went for $10,000. For $4,000, one winning bidder receives dinner for 10, hosted and prepared by food writer Bob Yesbek and Bob Ciprietti, owner of Touch of Italy.
SoDel Cares in its first year will earmark funds for causes that benefit children, at-risk youth, adults reentering society from the prison system and the elderly who need assistance.
Beneficiaries include the Rehoboth Beach Boys & Girls Club, The Freeman Stage at Bayside, the Music School of Delaware, which has a Milford location, and Pathways to Success. Funds raised this year will stay in Delaware.
SoDel Concepts also sponsors charitable events throughout the year, including the Women & Wine series at Lupo Italian Kitchen, from September through May; the Chicks for Charity series at Fish On; and Girl Scout Cookie Month in February. SoDel Concepts has also spearheaded a fundraiser to benefit Save the Children’s initiatives to aid children in Nepal after the earthquake in spring 2014. The restaurant industry event raised $30,377 in one night.
