Do More 24 2015: The gift of a uniform!

Give a soccer uniform on Do More 24!

How did you feel when you put on a sports uniform for the first time? When you got to represent your school with a a shirt bearing your very own number?

Excited.

Proud.

Like you belonged.

These -- and many more emotions -- are all right answers and they're the feeling kids in DC SCORES get to experience each year. Every poet-athlete in our program, all 1,500 of them, receives a soccer uniform -- a jersey, shorts, socks and shinguards -- upon beginning DC SCORES. They become part of a team.

Unfortunately, there are hundred of kids in DC who lack a team -- who haven't experienced the feelings expressed by the kids in the video above. This is where you come in.

Thursday, June 4, 2015, is Do More 24, a one-day giveathon celebrating nonprofits in the greater DC area. Our goal is to provide uniforms for 500 DC kids currently without a team. Can you help us reach our goal by making a donation of a uniform ($24) or more?

1) Go HERE between 12am-11:59pm on June 4 to join our effort.

2) Then share your gift and tag friends and family, asking them to do the same. This is easy to do on social media. We've even created a Tweet you can use; just click HERE. Or share our Facebook post with your own customized message.

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Because we understand the impact each and every donor is making by providing a uniform, throughout the day we will keep a running list below of High Fives -- we LOVE high fives at DC SCORES -- for those who give. We hope your name makes the list!

THANK YOU!

The DC SCORES team

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#DoMore24 soccer uniforms provided: 357

DC SCORES High Fives list, time given
Shanaz Chowdhury, 11:57pm
Anonymous, 11:06pm
Liselot Koenen, 10:41pm
Melissa Kambouris, 10:25pm
Alen Allen, 10:03pm
Launa Hochstetler, 9:58pm
Anonymous, 9:58pm
Kenny Owens, 9:52pm
Aya Takeuchi, 9:42pm
Disna Cleland-Boyle, 9:37pm
William Dennis, 9:37pm
Mark Lewis, 9:34pm
Leah Hochstetler, 9:31pm
Elizabeth Wendel, 9:29pm
Stephanie Wolfram, 9:13pm
Anonymous, 9:04pm
Addie Thompson, 8:52pm
Brian Bouhl, 8:47pm
Tim Protle, 8:39pm
Anonymous, 8:32pm
Scott Lesmes, 8:29pm
Holly O'Donnell, 8:22pm
Joshua Orrego, 8:20pm
Zakaria Sherbiny, 7:53pm
Heidi Hochstetler, 7:48pm
Allison Brown, 7:35pm
Santano Rosario, 7:03pm
Anonymous, 7:02pm
Ellen Jimenez, 7:01pm
Chrystal Puryear, 6:50pm
Jonathan Judge-Russo, 6:20pm
Karen Lloyd, 6:14pm
Michael Mack, 6:10pm
L. Coley, 6pm
Joseph Santiesteban, 5:59pm
Kara Dunford, 5:55pm
Kelli Davis, 5:55pm
Andrea and John Murino, 5:52pm
Amy and Fred Rubin, 5:51pm
Kenny Shin, 5:46pm
Mark Hazan, 5:36pm
Jeb Burch, 5:33pm
Susan Gomes, 5:25pm
Judith Goodman, 5:08pm
Sebastiao & Roseli Fonseca, 5:05pm
Fonseca Family, 5:04pm
Christina Brown, 5:03pm
Rachel Klepper, 5:03pm
Tayla Bock, 4:57pm
Keiko Yoshino, 4:57pm
Jacqueline Kemp, 4:54pm
Anthony Francavilla, 4:54pm
Nytasha Garland, 4:48pm
Sean Hinkle, 4:48pm
Nancy Clements, 4:47pm
Joni Hirsch, 4:36pm
Greta Poku, 4:35pm
Gillian Parrish, 4:32pm
Jamilah Matthews, 4:26pm
Paul Jackson, 4:25pm
Maritza Carnegie, 4:24pm
Jamie Goldfarb, 4:24pm
Marisa Deline, 4:18pm
Jill Dowell, 4:09pm
Darryl Clay, 3:58pm
Tammy Whyte, 3:51pm
Lauren Bogard, 3:50pm
Tyler Andrus, 3:47pm
Christabelle Gipson, 3:44pm
Allison Frick, 3:44pm
Mary Ryan, 3:41pm
Nancy Kemp, 3:39pm
Christina Velt, 3:32pm
Anthony Brown, 3:29pm
Brian Yi, 3:27pm
Mike Rocco, 3:18pm
Christina Lewis,2:50pm
Steve Goodman, 2:45pm
Jackie Solano, 2:01pm
Emily Thompson, 1:53pm
Pena Madridista, 1:40pm
John Mcknight, 1:39pm
Hannah Estifanos, 1:39pm
Lyndsey Miller-Vierra, 1:37pm
Pierce Brix, 1:37pm
Ryan Kelley, 1:08pm
Sherry Persaud, 12:52pm
Taylor Brown, 12:51pm
Amanda Potter, 12:17pm
Robert & Patricia Watkins, 12:08pm
Emily Schulman, 12:08pm
Cheryl Gregory, 12:02pm
Jo Ousterhout, 12:00pm
Tim & Kathy Hinkle, 11:43am
Mathew Stafford, 11:32am
Emily Gottschalk, 11:18am
John Pellegrini, 11:11am
Lauren Orzechowski, 11:01am
Douglas Vollmayer, 10:48am
Sidney Williams, 10:48am
Kristopher Rengert, 10:43am
Andrea DiMaria, 10:24am
Catherine Heron, 10:23am
Eli & Vesta Hochstetler, 10:22am
Tracey Rutnik, 10:21am
Danielle Rutnik, 10:17am
Stephen Ressler, 10:14am
Marissa Piette, 10:03am
Ayan & Mike Rubin, 10:02am
Christopher Berg, 9:56am
Lauren Cummings, 9:53am
Paul John, 9:50am
Molly Oellerich, 9:49am
Daniel Henderson, 9:47am
Ronald Buch, 9:44am
Kathleen Kiernan, 9:42am
Gwendolyn Vinson, 9:38am
Alex Bearman, 9:38am
Ronya Corey, 9:35am
Stephen Replogle, 9:31am
Donald Hill, 9:29am
Lily Goldstein, 9:28am
Andrew Gaeckle, 9:28am
Anne H Woodworth, 9:24am
Marissa Mcbride, 9:09am
Hirsh Kravitz, 8:59am
MaryBeth Sullivan, 8:59am
Liz Martone, 8:58am
Adam Rubinfield, 8:54am
Anthony Francavilla, 8:53am
Jessica Searing, 8:51am
Mary Amorosino, 8:45am
Betty Schulman, 8:38am
Grant Czubinski, 8:38am
Edward Lovitch, 8:35am
David Crespo, 8:35am
Amy Wrona, 8:23am
Jake Lloyd, 8:18am
Daniel Meloy, 8:05am
Alice Speck, 8:04am
Amy Nakamoto, 8:04am
Bethany Rubin Henderson, 8:04am
Chris Richardson, 8:04am
Karen Lovitch, 8:03am
Julie Rogers, 8:03am
Kelly Dragelin, 8;02am
Andrea Custis, 8:02am
John Guinan, 8:01am
Katrina Owens, 8:01am
Jessica Trevelyan, 8am
Stuart Trevelyan, 8am
Paul Jackson, 8am
Jack Reagan, 7:11am
Danica Keefe, 5:32am
Mary and Terry Fairbanks, 6:18am
Jake Lloyd, 12:07am
Anonymous, 12:13am

DC SCORES participant and alumna star on Aspen Institute panel

"I think my game talks for that."

That was the line of the day from Madalin G. at The Aspen Institute Project Play Summit on Feb. 25. Madalin, 13, an eighth-grader at Lincoln Middle School, was responding to a question from panel moderator Allyson Felix, an Olympic gold medal-winning sprinter, about showing people that she can play soccer as a girl.

It was just one highlight from the day, during which Madalin and Erin B., a DC SCORES alumna, spoke alongside other youth sports participants as well as policy experts. The goal of the summit was to share ideas about how to get more youth engaged positively in sport and stay involved. Having kids speak about their ongoing experiences was a great idea.

Madalin and Erin had plenty to share.

Madalin, speaking on the panel 'What Good Looks Like in Youth Sports' alongside Little League World Series star Mo'ne Davis and two other youth, spoke about the importance of her coaches and peers. She told the audience that she was nervous when she first joined the DC SCORES team was ridiculed for being a girl and playing soccer.

The support her coaches and peers provided helped Madalin overcome that obstacle, and now everyone knows she can play. All they have to do is watch her.

"It's always that one person that's going to help you out, that's going to teach you," Madalin said, "and most of that time, that is your coach or best friend that is on the team."



Erin, who participated in DC SCORES for six years -- beginning in third grade at Arts and Technology Academy and continuing through eighth grade at Cesar Chavez Parkside Charter School -- was on a panel called 'Ask Kids What They Want.' Erin was the only kid on the panel, sharing the stage with policy expert Amanda Visek of George Washington Public Health, John West of Whistle Sports, and Eli Wolff of the Inclusive Sports Initiative.

Moderator Gary Hall Jr., a 10-time Olympic gold medalist, asked Erin what she wants in a sports program.

"What I want is a program that is going to be engaging and show (me) more beneficial things I can do in my life," Erin said. "I want to see what college opportunities they can give me and what social opportunities they can give me, like what other kids outside of my school I can talk to, what other programs are out there for me."

Erin took advantage of the opportunities to discover new interests and grow through DC SCORES and believes more program that are available for all youth are needed.

Erin was asked to describe her experience in DC SCORES, and she talked about how she joined the program in third grade and not only began playing soccer regularly but discovered a passion for poetry.

"It helped me become a better scholar because in class they set certain standards for you to have certain grades and to stay focused," Erin said of her DC SCORES coaches.

Both poet-athletes were engaging on their respective panels and made a tremendous impression on audience members. They were heard, and their ideas won't be forgotten as policy decisions are made going forward about how to get more youth involved and enjoying playing sports.