#PlayItForward for Lawrence Youth in our 2nd Decade!
It’s a historic moment in youth sports & sport-based youth development (SBYD), and our commitment continues to increase in response to recognized gaps in quality, year-round sports access in cities like Lawrence. That commitment included entering our second decade with a new three-year strategic plan designed to strengthen our scope of services, especially off-the-field through Academic Overtime or expanding leadership opportunities like Luiz and Michael pictured above contributing to our 12th Annual Sport & Wellness Camp as Summer Coach Mentors.
YOUR donation will advance this focus on youth development through sports, most notably by better engaging our community of older players, program alums, and parents (through FUSE), a central plan priority that’s been at the heart of our mission but requires more resources & partnerships. #TY for considering a donation to our #PlayItForward Appeal.
If we raise $100,000 by June 1, 2024, Cummings Foundation has pledged an additional $50,000.
Achieving the Cummings Foundation Challenge will enable the scholarship to be offered in perpetuity! This fund will benefit more Lawrence youth every year, like Luiz Lopez, the first recipient.
Donations will be made through our safe, integrated donor management system, Little Green Light which supports payments through Stripe
A trusted payment service provider that accepts credit and debit cards or other payments.
On June 27th, Executive Director Stephanie and the Board, led by Board President Nina Leach, raised initial funding to provide Luiz Lopez with the first Paul Wennik Outstanding Character Scholarship. It means that Luiz, pictured with his family, received $5,000 in college tuition costs to attend UMass Lowell this fall. For Luiz, it’s fulfilling a tuition gap that the family was trying to meet, and came as a total surprise!
Luiz is so deserving of this 1st scholarship, like being known for a fun coaching style that hypes up all his young players with shouts of encouragement that sound like battle cries. Luiz & his twin brother joined Beyond Soccer as talented players at age 10. Luiz has been a team player ever since, and now with a GPA of 4.0, and with this support, he’ll be the first in his family to enroll in a 4-year university.
For Luiz’s full scholarship award, click HERE!
Read why Paul’s dedication and “character” led to our first annual scholarship and, with YOUR support, can continue in his honor, in perpetuity. “There is no holding Paul back when a cause is near and dear to his heart, especially when equity, access, or fairness are on the line. He has been involved with Beyond Soccer since its grassroots beginnings, serving as Beyond Soccer’s Board President for almost 10 years…” MORE HERE
