Champions for Kids - On the Soccer Pitch #OdwallaCFK

One of the most important things about getting kids to be more active in sports and their community is to find caring volunteers who will donate their time to mentor, teach and guide the kids in their chosen sport!  For the past two years, Robyn has been playing soccer in a league run by Charleston Recreation and organized by teachers and volunteers associated with all of the middle schools in the area.  Their last game for the season is tomorrow and it's Robyn's last game ever as a Haut Gap team member since she'll be graduating this spring. 

This program has been run on a shoe string budget and the guiding force behind Robyn's team this year - organizing all of the practices, arranging for parents to provide water and treats, and organizing a concession stand at each set of Saturday games to fund raise for the program is Ms. Baker, one of Haut Gap's fabulous phys ed. teachers!

When I was approached to be part of the Collective Bias social shopper insights study for #OdwallaCFK, my first thought was to ask Ms. Baker to take on more and help me organize a drive for new and used sports equipment to donate to a local charity in Charleston and we talked about it vaguely while I was searching for a charity that would be willing to accept the donated items as part of a Champions for Kids project!

If you haven't heard of Champions for Kids, you should really check out their website - I was so impressed when I went there and saw this mission statement:

Champions for Kids works to mobilize MILLIONS of people by providing training and resources to improve the lives of children in communities across America and beyond. Our goal is to mobilize 20 Million people by 2020.

I am now also a Facebook Fan and Twitter Follower - to keep up with all of the fabulous news and SIMPLE Service Project Ideas.  

I was getting no where fast - following leads and leaving messages for a charity that was interested in being the recipient of this project when I realized that our own students at Haut Gap had a need for new soccer balls and other practice equipment, and that I was in a position to thank Ms. Baker and her fellow volunteers in a unique way so I headed to Walmart to shop for what I needed to get started... Odwalla Juice and new soccer balls!

I picked out this one - it' looks good and should be the right size for middle school - it says ages 12 and up...

I was able to get out without kids for a little while, so I took advantage of the freedom and checked out more of the store and found this really cute top for me (wink!)

If you want to see what a great deal I got on this top and my whole shop, you can check out my google plus album!


So, what am I going to do with yummy Odwalla Juice and a pair of fabulous new soccer balls?  Well, if you've never heard of Odwalla Juice, it's considered by many to be SUPER JUICE!  And I'm planning to do something really special as a thank you for our SUPER COACHES - I'll tell you, but don't tell them... I'm making SUPER GIFTS for them and of course I'll be giving them some yummy Odwalla Juice along with some other super things!    I can't think of a better way to support our kids than to make sure that the volunteers know how thankful we are that they give up two evenings and every Saturday for over a month to ensure that these kids have a chance to play soccer!    I know that there are other organized leagues in Charleston, but they all have higher fees and requirements and I know that many of the kids who attend Robyn's school don't have the disposable income to participate in more expensive sports...


I'm going to be approaching other parents tomorrow at the game to see what other ways we can impact the Haut Gap soccer team for next year to ensure that the kids have what they need to be involved in this worthwhile activity!


Keep an eye out later in April to see what else is in store for this Game Day Challenge as part of the #OdwallaCFK Champions for Kids 


Disclaimer:

• This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias All opinions are my own.