The OLA Cup -- A celebration of soccer and community

Written by Colin Patch
Digital Media Intern
@DCSCORESInterns

It was a cool evening at Bell Multicultural High School in the Columbia Heights area of DC.

The stadium lights were beginning to turn on, a Latino radio station was playing crowd favorites, and the mouth-watering scent of chorizo and beef on the grill was attracting scores of people from around the neighborhood.

The main event, however, was on the field where the U19 DC SCORES alumni team was set to take on long-time rivals La Marita Junior (LMJ) in the annual Mayor's Office on Latino Affairs (OLA) Cup Tournament.

Crowds filled the bleachers and once the opening whistle blew, an exciting match ensued with both teams possessing multiple scoring opportunities.

Despite their best effort, the DC SCORES team was ultimately defeated 2-1 by their rivals.

While disappointed, coach Popsie Lewis encouraged his players to remain optimistic, reminding them how insignificant just one game -- even a rivalry -- is and to look ahead to the next one. The team was just one of Popsie's, too, and was sponsored by Accurate Conceptions. He also coached a U-15 DC SCORES team in the annual event. And coach Asa Davis led a DC SCORES girls team sponsored by District Sports to the tournament championship in their division!

Coach Popsie Lewis talks to his DC SCORES U-19 team at halftime of their OLA Cup Tournament game. 

As both teams made their way back across the field to greet family and friends, the rivalry was shed and players from the opposing teams joked around with each other and had a good laugh.

"A majority of the kids know each other," Popsie said of the rivalry, "from elementary, and once they get to middle and high school they start playing on these different teams, and it becomes a neighborhood rivalry."

While moving on to different schools may have caused a small rift between the players -- on the field, at least -- the friendships which underlie their history remain firm.

As the vibrant and diverse crowd dispersed from the Bell soccer field, the family-like camaraderie of the Columbia Heights community presented itself in the hustle and bustle of the streets.

In just the two minutes I spent walking with Coach Popsie, a number of friends and strangers -- some from the opposing LMJ team -- called out to tell him "good game" or "best of luck."

My biggest takeaway from the event: any time soccer can bring the community together like OLA has -- win, lose or draw -- it's a celebration for everyone.

A time to give thanks: Volunteers, companies, foundations, local government make 2013 special for 1,500 youth

Written by Daniel Meloy
Senior Director of Development & Communications

As DC SCORES prepares to close out 2013, I’m reminded of not only what we’ve accomplished this year but also of who made those accomplishments possible. We could not engage 1,500 DC SCORES students without the support of our community throughout the year.

That support came in many forms - volunteerism, corporate contributions, foundation and government grants, individual gifts.

While the space of a blog post limits the supporters we can highlight here, we appreciate all of our supporters - and recognize them on our website.

Our hundreds of volunteers were most visible at our events like Jamboree!, Fall Frenzy, and the Poetry Slam! or seen on the soccer fields as referees. And while not quite as visible, but just as important, are the volunteers who spend an hour or two each week in our office - stuffing and labeling envelopes or organizing files. Volunteers are the heart of DC SCORES.

Companies both large and small sponsored or participated in events throughout the year. We tip our hats to companies like DirecTV, Walmart, Volkswagen, and CIT for their support of our SCORE Awards event, at which we recognize outstanding DC SCORES coaches and volunteers.

The biggest display of corporate support comes each June at our DC SCORES Cup. This year 30 teams, from Aljazeera to Zuckerman Spaeder LLP, played in what has become DC’s largest charity soccer tournament, and raised over $100,000 for DC SCORES.

Throughout the year, private and family foundations invested in DC SCORES. We are grateful for the confidence in our work that foundations like the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation, The Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, the John Edward Fowler Memorial Foundation, the Share Fund, and many others have displayed through their grants.

Our public funding partnerships continued to be strengthened this year as well. Grants from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the DC Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs helped us to build stronger relationships in the schools and communities we serve.

Behind every corporate donation, every event sponsorship, and every foundation and government grant was a person (or group of people) who recognized the impact that DC SCORES has every day on the lives of the students we serve.

It is the people - individuals in our community - who, because of their open hearts, have driven the success of DC SCORES. Whether it’s providing a soccer uniform through the DoMore24 or #GivingTuesday campaigns or sending a kid to camp through our Couch to Camp campaign, individuals have made all the difference in our ability to make sure DC students have a team, a safe place to express their feelings, and a true connection to their community.

And as we acknowledge the generosity of the DC SCORES community of supporters in 2013, we look ahead to 2014 knowing that DC SCORES students throughout the city will thrive on the soccer field, excel in the classroom, and create change in their neighborhoods because of your support.

We thank you and look forward to another great year together!