Milwaukee Kickers Soccer Club, Inc

NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Alvaro Garcia-Velez, Milwaukee Kickers Executive Director
414.375.1150
[email protected]
Kickers In Our Community
MKSC Community Outreach Initiatives (May 2016 – July 2016)
MILWAUKEE, WI (August 1, 2016) – The Milwaukee Kickers Soccer Club (MKSC), one of the largest
and most respected youth soccer organizations in the country and a nonprofit organization that
believes in giving back, continues to actively support the Milwaukee community through time
allocation, resource donation and collaborative partnerships.
ASM’s Gandari (pictured on right)
America SCORES Milwaukee – In May, America SCORES Milwaukee’s (ASM) Soccer Director
Simba Gandari was notified that he was selected to receive a 2016 President’s Council on Fitness,
Sports & Nutrition Community Leadership Award. The award is given annually to individuals or
organizations who improve the lives of others within their community by providing or enhancing
opportunities to engage in sports, physical activities, fitness, and nutrition-related programs. Gandari
was one of 60 recipients; in honor of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition 60th
anniversary, selected from across the country to receive the award.
Soccer Stars Play at Uihlein Soccer Park
These “Stars” Receive New Soccer Balls
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee – For five consecutive Thursdays starting June 28th,
more than 20 teams from Milwaukee’s central-city participated in a Summer soccer league called
“Soccer Stars” at Uihlein Soccer Park. Through a partnership with America SCORES Milwaukee (led
by Executive Director Kate Carpenter) and MKSC, close to 400 Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater
Milwaukee youth had the opportunity to learn new skills, make new friends and compete weekly.
CityKicks Soccer Program
CityKicks – In May CityKicks, an innovative soccer program supported and run by America SCORES
Milwaukee and MKSC that provides youth ages 5-18 throughout the Milwaukee Community with
programming that teaches self-discipline, character development, and decision making skills
necessary to maintain a healthy lifestyle, concluded its Spring season. In total, 90 students from six
Milwaukee Public Schools participated and as a reward for their commitment each student received a
new soccer ball. To date, the program has introduced the sport of soccer to more than 1,000 children
from schools, neighborhood centers, and camps hosted in Milwaukee community parks.
MKSC EARN & LEARN Team Members
EARN & LEARN – Starting in June, for the second consecutive year, MKSC employed Milwaukee
area teenagers as part of Mayor Tom Barrett’s EARN & LEARN program. In partnership with local
business, non-profit, and community- and faith-based organizations, the Summer youth employment
initiative assists Milwaukee’s youth in making a successful transition from adolescence into adulthood
through job skills and work experience. Of the 10 youth on the MKSC team, four were on staff at Riley
Elementary through the America SCORES Milwaukee program and six were on Uihlein Soccer Park’s
grounds and maintenance team.
MKSC’s Garcia-Velez (pictured third from right)
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society – In July Alvaro Garcia-Velez, MKSC Executive Director,
participated in The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s “Scenic Shore 150 Bike Tour” to raise money to
provide the resources needed to find cures for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma,
and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Since 1949 the organization has invested
over $688 million in blood cancer research, something the organization believes is key to finding
cures for all cancers.
MKSC’s King (pictured in middle)
MACC Fund – On June 6th Michael King, MKSC Staff Coach/Club Clinician and MACC Fund
Honorary Athletic Board Member, participated in the 8th annual Chili’s MACC Open. One of The
MACC (Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer) Fund’s signature fundraising events, golf
foursomes were paired with celebrities from the world of sports, entertainment and broadcasting to
raise funds to support pediatric cancer and blood disorders research.
Milwaukee German Immersion School (MPS) – On June 8th Dawn Urban, MKSC Events & League
Administrator, spent the afternoon reading to three Milwaukee German Immersion classrooms (K4, K5
& first grade) during library time which included a Reading is Fundamental book distributed by the
PTA. After the reading sessions were over, each child was able to select a bookmark and a book
written in German to take home.
Open Play Scrimmage
Open Play (Uihlein Soccer Park) – From May through July, more than 100 people (general public the majority from zip codes 53218, 53223, 53204 and 53215, and MKSC members) took advantage of
Uihlein Soccer Park’s year-round, community-wide weekday turf field Open Play hours. The park,
Wisconsin’s premier indoor/outdoor soccer complex, provides players with a safe environment for all
ages and skill levels.
MKSC’s Gilpin-Ripp (pictured on right)
Delivery of Lunches to Children
The Salvation Army – On June 20th, MKSC’s Director of Marketing and Sponsorship Tammy GilpinRipp, along with other Salvation Army Advisory Board Members, community leaders, volunteers and
donors, helped prepare 2,000 lunches for The Salvation Army’s “Feed The Kids” Summer Meals
Program during the program kick off at Red Arrow Park. The program addresses the causes of
hunger and provides nutritious bag lunches, delivered by van to some of Milwaukee’s poorest
neighborhoods, to an estimated 90,000 children until they return to school in the Fall.
MKSC Team “Storms” Milwaukee
Storm the Bastille Run/Walk – On July 14th members of MKSC’s staff and MKSC Board President
Steve Harris (pictured above, second from left) joined an estimated 5,000 runners/walkers to
celebrate the opening night of Milwaukee’s 2016 Bastille Day Festival at the BMO Harris Bank “Storm
the Bastille” Run/Walk. The popular community-oriented festival offered activities, food and music for
all ages.
MKSC’s Camilli
Traveling Beer Garden Run – On July 7th Amanda Camilli, MKSC MiKro Program Director and Staff
Coach, ran in Grant Park as part of the park’s “Traveling Beer Garden Run” series. The series
highlights and promotes Milwaukee’s award-winning parks system that includes Uihlein Soccer Park,
home of the Milwaukee Kickers.
Crossing the Finish Line
Vince Lombardi Walk/Run To Tackle Cancer – On July 23rd, MKSC’s Dawn Urban, her daughter
Michelle (also a member of the MKSC staff and Uihlein Soccer Park Manager on Duty) and her twin
granddaughters walked to show support and celebrate hope for those touched by cancer in our
community in the 2016 “Lombardi Walk/Run to Tackle Cancer” at Milwaukee’s lakefront. Through the
years, the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation has raised over $18 million to help fight cancer, and its
sole purpose is to raise funds for leading-edge cancer research and compassionate care at Vince
Lombardi Clinics located throughout eastern Wisconsin.
MKSC’s “Tails on the Trail” Team
Dogs Meet & Greet
Wisconsin Humane Society – On June 25th, an MKSC team ran/walked in the 4th annual “Tails on
the Trail” event at Milwaukee’s lakefront to support the Wisconsin Humane Society. The MKSC team
shared the fundraising event experience with over 1,000 dogs and more than 1,600 people who
participated to help save the lives of countless animals in our community.
ABOUT MILWAUKEE KICKERS SOCCER CLUB
mksc.org
Milwaukee Kickers Soccer Club, a nonprofit organization and unifying force in the community that
calls Uihlein Soccer Park home, strives to enrich the lives of adults and youth in the Greater
Milwaukee Area by providing soccer to everyone no matter their size, shape, gender, race, or
socioeconomic status. The club serves nearly 6,000 youth members through recreational and select
teams in 15 regions across Southeastern Wisconsin each year, and is committed to ensuring
everyone can continue to play soccer while instilling a lifelong passion for the game.
ABOUT AMERICA SCORES MILWAUKEE
americascoresmke.org
An affiliate of the national America SCORES network (which operates in 14 cities across the country),
America SCORES Milwaukee is the community outreach program of the Milwaukee Kickers Soccer
Club. SCORES is dedicated to offering the children of Milwaukee's central city with after school
soccer programming. Incorporated with creative writing and community service components,
SCORES is providing high quality youth-development for our community’s neediest children.
ABOUT UIHLEIN SOCCER PARK
mksc.org
Wisconsin's premier indoor/outdoor soccer complex was built in 1994 as a joint venture between the
City of Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Kickers Soccer Club. The park's many features include 13
outdoor soccer fields, two lighted stadium turf fields, three indoor fields surfaced in AstroPlay turf, full
food and beverage facilities, locker rooms and more. Uihlein Soccer Park, located at 7101 W. Good
Hope Road, is part of the award-winning Milwaukee County Parks System which hosts year-round
Open Play hours for the community when field space is available.
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