Over 1,500 people enjoy action-packed day at 18th DC SCORES Jamboree! celebration

The 18th Annual DC SCORES Jamboree! was epitomized by its moments.

Perhaps none better defined the June 1 celebration of the spring season than the one in the aftermath of the City Cup championship soccer games that kicked off the event. 

Before the Burrville Elementary School girls team received the trophy for winning a seventh consecutive title, a girl clad in her red DC SCORES uniform stood up and -- in front of DC Councilmembers Tommy Wells and David Grosso -- said that all participants from the four teams that played in the games were winners. She then walked over to the seated Marie Reed Elementary girls and the Wheatley Education Campus boys, giving out high fives.

Thus began a day that involved winning and trophies, but left all participants smiling -- and tired -- after several hours of soccer games, facepainting and much more.

The Jamboree! was, by far, the largest-scale DC SCORES event in the organization's 19-year history. Over 1,450 youth representing 45 schools joined hundreds of parents, dozens of volunteers, and a handful of awesome program partners at Anacostia Park. 

To give an idea of just how large the event was, 128 elementary and middle school soccer games were played on 14 fields. And that was just the soccer.

There were also:

• Volunteers from DC SCORES partner Sephora running a professional facepainting booth throughout the day.

• Longtime partner Penya Barcelonista running a soccer shooting station where kids from each school split into three teams and tested out their accuracy. The prize for those most on-target? Awesome Penya scarves!

• Hundreds DC SCORES parents watching their kids play soccer, then filling out surveys about the program and receiving water bottles and bags from Modell's Sporting Goods in return. Many parents don't get to see their children in action during the season, making Saturday a great opportunity to finally watch them proudly wear their school uniforms.
  

• The service-learning display and contest. Saturday marked the culmination of a season not just defined by soccer, but by every DC SCORES school creating and implementing a project to better their school or surrounding community. Each school brought a poster board visually documenting their project, and staff members voted these the top three projects:

• Kelly Miller Middle School won Most Creative Project for visiting a retirement home and teaching the elderly how to use technology (blog).

• Bancroft Elementary School won Project with the Greatest Impact for raising over $1,000 for homeless animals. 

• Seaton Elementary School won Best Board Design for not only creating a beautiful array of pictures from their school garden, but bringing fresh radishes, chard and other vegetables to display!

• Members from the U.S. Soccer Athlete Council coming out on the 100th anniversary of soccer in the United States to run soccer relay races and drills with kids. Former U.S. Women's National Team members including Angela Hucles, Heather Mitts and others had a great time teaching DC SCORES students skills and playing games with them.

• Revolution Foods, the event's lunch provider, teaming up with DC Hunger Solutions to lead a station where students created nutritious snacks -- such as a yogurt parfait with peaches and berries -- to keep them feeling good during the long, hot day of soccer.

• DC SCORES partner The Century Council giving away to both kids and parents cool sunglasses, T-shirts, and bilingual literature about the dangers of underage drinking and drinking while driving. 

• And, of course, DJ RBI spinning tunes to help keep everyone energized on a blazing-hot day under the sun, and Sport and Spine Rehab expert trainers available for anyone who needed medical attention.

Did I mention the 128 soccer games? 

They began with the City Cup championship games at 8:15 a.m. The Burrville Eagles girls team -- a DC SCORES dynasty -- listened to the constant urgings of "PASS! PASS!" from their coach Daryl Forte and used teamwork to defeat Reed in the girls game. In the boys game, Reed -- DC SCORES' flagship school where the program began in 1994 -- defeated first-time championship game participant Wheatley.

All four teams received trophies from Executive Director Amy Nakamoto, and special guests Wells and Grosso hung medals around the students' necks. 

The championship games complete, the Jamboree! kicked off for everyone -- with seven elementary school games and seven middle schools games played simultaneously for over 5 hours. Teams were guaranteed three games, and some played as many as seven. The games were all refereed by DC SCORES volunteers, who could be spotted in their neon yellow T-shirts all over the park grounds throughout the entire event.

After losing two of their first three games, the MacFarland boys -- playing as a DC SCORES team for the final time -- rallied to win two consecutive games. Shaw Middle School at Garnet-Patterson, which is also closing at the end of the school year, had a magical four-game streak that ended just short of the boys championship, won for a third straight time by Paul Public Charter School.

On the middle school girls side, Capital City Public Charter School participants thought their day was over after a loss and began walking to the parking lot. But it wasn't. The tournament's double-elimination format gave them a chance to keep playing, and they did just that all the way to the championship to cap off the school's first year as a DC SCORES program participant. 

By 3pm, the music died down, the last games were whistled complete, the final trophies were rewarded, and kids from 45 schools boarded buses content and exhausted from a day that perfectly encapsulated everything the DC SCORES spring season is about and included many of the people, partners and volunteers who make it all possible.

Read a chronological recap of the day on Twitter by visiting the #Jamboree13 hashtag

DC SCORES students learn healthy living behaviors with The Century Council

Photos by Tyler Allen, The Century Council

“Did you get your vegetables,” I asked, a bit concerned about the kid’s plate containing just a bite-size sandwich.

“I already ate them!” said the kid exuberantly, before turning to shoot some hoops.

I should have known. Throughout The Century Council’s seventh annual Take Your Kids to Work Day, students from three DC SCORES schools learned and demonstrated healthy behaviors that align with our partner’s mission of discouraging underage drinking and drinking and driving.

The Century Council generously invited DC SCORES to bring youth to the event on Capitol Hill for the third consecutive year, and students from H.D. Cooke Elementary School, Thomson Elementary School and Wheatley Education Campus had a great time playing all the games, eating healthy food, and meeting Olympian gold-medalist gymnast and Dancing with the Stars celebrity Aly Raisman and Ali Krieger of the Washington Spirit professional soccer team.

Around the large room, stations were set up where youth could shoot baskets, practice their accuracy throwing a football, roll Skeeball and get some serious exercise playing the Wii-like racing Ask Listen Learn video game where they ran on a pad and then answered questions about healthy behaviors such as "True or false: Drinking alcohol makes me look cool."

“Are you tired?” I asked Monyae L., decked out in his purple Wheatley Whales shirt, after he ran wild at the video game station.

He could only nod, but then caught his breath and told me his favorite healthy foods to eat.

“Broccoli, spinach, carrots, apples, oranges, bananas and V8 juice.”

In between stations throughout the event, students waltzed over to the snacks table to choose vegetables from the large array of corn stalks, asparagus, radishes, tomatoes, carrots and more. They still enjoyed the mini sandwiches, but the importance of eating the veggies wasn’t lost on them.

“Eat fruits and vegetables and don’t drink soda, drink water,” said Wheatley’s Darryl H. of how to live healthy.

The Century Council has been a tremendous partner of DC SCORES for over three years, funding our program with annual grants, inviting us to events such as this one, and even asking Program Director Cory Chimka to write guest blogs for them.

Chimka attended the event on the Hill and expressed his gratitude for a partner whose values align so well with those of DC SCORES.

“Year in and year out, The Century Council ensures DC SCORES participants are included alongside the sons and daughters of senators and house members during Take Your Kids to Work Day festivities,” Chimka said. “This illustrates not only The Century Council’s commitment to ensuring their mission of healthy living is accessible to youth throughout the District, but also the organization’s dedication to DC SCORES and other partners.”

For the 30 or so kids who got to visit the Hill, the day was one they won’t forget anytime soon. For an hour and a half, they were abuzz with energy as they moved from station to station – accumulating stickers for completing each one and "saying yes to a healthy lifestyle and no to underage drinking."

When the opportunity arose to get their picture taken with Raisman, the kids rushed up to the makeshift stage and posed with the gold-medalist, took pictures of her themselves, and asked her questions.

“That’s my best friend in a picture with Aly Raisman!” a student exclaimed.

Then it was back to shooting hoops, playing the Ask Listen Learn game (which many students identified as their favorite station), and eating those veggies. After all, it was Thursday – DC SCORES Game Day – and they had to treat their bodies right in preparation for playing soccer a couple hours later.

“I made sure to eat my vegetables this morning so we can beat ATA!” exclaimed a Wheatley Whales student about the school’s upcoming game against Arts and Technology Academy.

A few hours later, I stood watching H.D. Cooke play Seaton Elementary School on the soccer field. My jaw dropped as I watched Ariana R. weave her way with the ball between defenders up the field. She did this time and time again, picking herself up when tripped, never complaining and never, seemingly, getting tired.

I was amazed until I remembered what she had told me earlier about taking care of her body.

"When you eat a lot of breakfast and not like junk food," Ariana had said of eating well. "Vegetables are good for your body."

And help you play soccer better. 

Thanks to The Century Council for hosting DC SCORES at a great event and helping instill healthy values in District youth. 

A time to give thanks to DC SCORES' supporters

Students with their Century Council bags.

This afternoon, a group of Cresa Washington DC employees stopped by our office.

With a check.

For $9,500.

The check wasn't something we could have imagined six or even four months ago. It resulted from an unexpected contribution to our organization by a group of people dedicated to helping the over 1,450 District youth we serve.

In September, former board member Chris Finley, who works at Cresa, posed the idea of the real estate company hosting a happy hour fundraiser benefiting DC SCORES. Two and a half months later — after securing two main sponsors in addition to dozens of individual donations — the event was held at James Hoban's Irish Restaurant and Bar. And now a month later, we have the check in hand.

Thank you, Chris. Thank you, Cresa.

That's just one example of the hundreds of contributions — big and small; anticipated and unexpected — that have helped us expand our innovative program during 2012 to serve more schools in more communities than ever before, filling a need that still remains throughout the District.

For our full supporters list, please visit the DC SCORES website. But here are a few more examples of how people have contributed to our organization in different ways:

A group of local government entities help maintain the foundation of our funding model and demonstrate their commitment to us not just in dollars. Serve DC, the DC Commission on National and Community Service, routinely visits our office, comes to our game days, and just last week honored our super volunteer Francesco Amorosino with a Mayor's Community Service Award. Under the exciting new leadership of Ed Davies, the DC Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation (CYITC), one of our oldest funders, continues to show their belief in our work by funding not only our regular programming but providing a large grant to fund our annual summer camps.

Receiving a $25,000 check from Volkswagen.

We also receive local funding from New Communities Youth Development & Community Wellness and the 21st Century Community Learning Centers — two funders whose missions strongly align with our desire to provide opportunities for those in the city's most under-resourced neighborhoods. The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities continues to annually fund the self-expression aspect of our program — even upping their contribution this year — including as a central sponsor of the Poetry Slam! (along with the Humanities Council of Washington, DC).

This fall, we've written extensively — and rightfully so — about the U.S. Soccer Foundation's Social Innovation Grant that has allowed us to implement the Foundation's Soccer for Success program at 15 new schools. The Foundation has joined a group of  companies committed to our Arts/Athletics/Academics model who show this not just in dollars provided:

Volkswagen Group of America has adopted our flagship school Marie Reed Elementary, funding the program there every year.

The American Beverage Association made a commitment to Wards 7 and 8 east of the Anacostia River, funding our expansion in the last year and a half to schools there and visiting a game day at Garfield Elementary School.

The Century Council not only increased their funding from $30,000 to $40,000 this year, but they are a dependable presence at all our program events, where they hand out their always-popular sunglasses — I have a pair in my car — and other giveaways.

A poetry reading at Starbucks.

Starbucks, a funder since the 1990s, hosts poetry readings for all DC SCORES schools during the fall, giving students the chance to practice their poems in front of an audience — albeit, a much smaller one — prior to the season-culminating Poetry Slam!.

As cliche as it sounds, it's not all about the money for us. Yes, DC SCORES would not be possible without the funding that makes up our $1.4 million annual budget — almost all of which goes directly toward program expenses (think soccer equipment, buses for game days, writing notebooks, coach stipends, event costs, etc.). But more than searching for cash grabs, we look for and appreciate funders who buy into our mission and commit to a mutually beneficial, long-term relationship.

Sometimes, for a variety of reasons (the economy being the glaring one), we lose a long-time funder. That's what happened a few years ago with the Commonweal Foundation. And that's why it was extremely rewarding to regain the Foundation's support, at $25,000, this fall.

We know that these are uncertain times and there are thousands of worthy, deserving organizations and causes out there. That's why we are so thankful to you, all of our funders and supporters, who choose to support DC SCORES.

Thank you, again, and here's to another great year together!

Over 800 students exercise their minds, soccer skills at action-packed 15th Annual Fall Frenzy

Aaliyah C. counted on her fingers, making sure the syllables added up. 

5-7-5

That was the breakdown she needed, as she tried different combinations of words. Leaning on the table, amidst her teammates with the clock ticking, Aaliyah had the concentration of a test taker. She strove to complete this haiku for Davis' Team Awesome in its competition against the Super Team.

One after another, the lines came to her and she wrote them on the pad of paper:

We play soccer well/
On the field we make assists/
We are great players

Success! Aaliyah felt a great sense of accomplishment with the completion of her first ever haiku. The volunteers from 826DC could be thanked for this. There aren't too many haiku contests out there for DC youth.

"It's awesome," Aaliyah said. "I got to learn how to make a sentence of five (syllables), a sentence of seven, and then another one of five."

That was just one lesson learned by over 800 elementary school students during the 15th Annual DC SCORES Fall Frenzy Saturday at Anacostia Park. Hundreds of parents and community partners also came out to see their children play in soccer games; get their faces painted; run relay races; practice their shooting accuracy; and a lot more.

This was the first year the Fall Frenzy was held at Anacostia Park, and it was the perfect venue to accommodate so much activity. See if you can imagine all that was going on at once:

At the northernmost part of the grassy expanse, DJ RBI spun jams throughout the day, which kept participants' energy level high and also led to plenty of dancing.

To RBI's right, hundreds of parents stopped by a tent where they filled out surveys about their children's experience in DC SCORES. Toward the end of the day, names were drawn and an extremely excited mother won a raffle for a game console donated by The Century Council.

To the right of the tent, a large goal was set up with target-practice patches strung to it — "30," "40," "50." DC SCORES partner Penya Barcelonista ran a shooting accuracy contest for each team that came through. When it was Thomson Elementary's turn, coaches Pharis Owens and Popsie Lewis provided more incentive for their students by placing their faces right up against the targets. Talk about living dangerously!

Adjacent to the Penya shooting station, students engaged in a relay race you've probably never seen before. Each student had to carry a soccer ball on a cone to a volunteer, who held up a flashcard with a word on it. The student then had to say a word that rhymed with the written word before turning around and carrying the ball to the next student in line. When a Tubman Elementary student saw "Mellow" on the card, they didn't need any time to think.

"Yellow!" 

A few hundred feet behind the Penya station to the south, the soccer fields were spread out across a wide area of grass. During every 25-minute period, nine games were ongoing. First, the girls would play, followed by the boys. Every school played a handful of games, many of them against schools they had never seen before. 

Afterward, a Davis Elementary School student — his faced painted half black, half white — beamed as he told me about his first goal ever scored in a DC SCORES uniform. His moment was one of dozens experienced by the nine elementary schools participating in the event for the first time.

To the northeast of the soccer fields, several tables and tents were set up and surrounded by hordes of students taking a break from the soccer action. At two of the tables, volunteers painted designs, school names, favorite numbers and more on the faces and arms of students who had plenty of Halloween spirit. 

After getting their tattoos, students topped by The Century Council table where they picked up soccer bags and filled them with free books, sunglasses and more giveaways from our awesome partner. Then they took all their free stuff to the 826 tent for some haiku writing followed by a stop at the Starbucks tent for arts and crafts activities.

After all that, students took a break from activity at the lunch area and did a little dancing to the beats of DJ RBI before heading back out to the soccer fields.

Exhausted reading this?

But wait, there's more...

Thanks to a very generous donation from greeNEWit, hundreds of kids who arrived at the Frenzy wearing high tops for their soccer shoes left the event sporting used soccer cleats. They couldn't have been happier with a bag full of Halloween candy. They also walked away with Modell's Sporting Goods water bottles and bags thanks to a donation from our partner. And any injuries sustained during the long day of exercise were healed thanks to the medical expertise and soothing powers of Sport and Spine Rehab trainers. 

There was no better indication of how enjoyable the event was than the number of volunteers who showed up throughout the day. Whether they were painting faces, refereeing games, serving lunch or picking up trash, volunteers made the Fall Frenzy run smoothly from start to finish. 

Several of the volunteers were either DC SCORES alumni — eager to give back to the program — or middle school participants who also wanted to make the day special for the elementary school students. These students' eagerness to contribute to the day demonstrated their love for the program and desire to stay connected to it.

The day was awesome/
Kids everywhere, parents too/
Thank you everyone!

Guest blog: DC SCORES partner The Century Council promotes healthy living for youth

The Century Council is a tremendous supporter of DC SCORES and our mission, and, most importantly, we both believe strongly in the importance of teaching kids to live healthy lifestyles. As the school year is a week old and the DC SCORES fall season begins next Monday, we share with you a post from our partner! Learn more about The Century Council here.

Written by Chris Kuhn
Programs Manager
The Century Council

Back to School is an exciting time for both students and parents as they prepare for a new school year and new challenges both in and out of the classroom!  It serves as a great time to remind students about the importance of staying safe and making healthy lifestyle choices.

 

The Century Council’s Ask Listen Learn: Kids and Alcohol Don’t Mix™ program provides youth, ages 9-14, and their parents with information about the dangers of underage drinking and the importance of living a healthy lifestyle.

In a recent survey conducted for The Century Council, it was noted that parents are the leading influence in their kid’s decision not to drink. The survey demonstrates the importance of parents and educators starting conversations with youth early and often about the risks and consequences surrounding underage drinking.

The Ask, Listen, Learn program provides materials for parents and instructors on how to start and continue the conversation with young people. The program also offers youth the opportunity to play  fun kids games, download printable activities, and read about Superstars like Olympian Steven Lopez, Soccer Hall of Famer Julie Foudy, and swimming champion Rebecca Soni.

According to the 2011 Monitoring the Future Study, nearly one third of 8th graders report they have tried alcohol once in their lifetime and 15% report they have been drunk. In a separate study, a majority (65%) of today’s youth who have consumed alcohol in the past year report family and friends as the leading source from which they get alcohol.

Make no mistake, tweens know what’s going on and they’re more than just a little curious about it. So before they’re presented with the opportunity, it’s critical to give them the information they need to make the right decision.

Help support them by teaching them how to say “Yes” to a healthy lifestyle and “No” to underage drinking. Make sure that either as a parent, teacher, or caregiver, you get involved!