Cleats for Kaden: Our Community at its Best!!

 
 
The work we do at Soccer in the Streets is intended to affect the kids first on a physical level, but there are kids for whom the community and SEL components of the programming are much more immediately impactful.
Kaden is one such kid.
 
Our East Point Head Coach, Ronnel Finley, recalls seeing him pass by the StationSoccer pitch, looking like he would like to join in. Eventually, Kaden began coming out in his basketball shoes to play pickup, later registering for the league properly.
 
When players show up for games and practice, they are often chaperoned by a parent or caregiver, but over time, we noticed that Kaden was often dropped off or accompanied by his grandmother. Eventually, Coach inquired and discovered that Kaden's mom was very ill. 
 
Not long after Ronnel discovered the news of her illness, Kaden's Mom reached out in a parent/coach text thread, hoping that some of her fellow parents might help her afford a pair of cleats for Kaden. The parents leaped into action, collectively gathering the funds and discreetly getting them to Mom.
 
Cleats for Kaden V.2.1
 
Days later, when Kaden ran out onto the pitch excited about the new cleats his mom had bought for him, everyone felt a sense of shared warmth and excitement. 
 
Unfortunately, the worst would come true for Kaden's family, but the impact of the cleats and further efforts made an enormous impression on him; the way East Point came together to support a young man through a terrible tragedy is a heart-rending lesson in the power of community.
  
Kaden's teammates, their parents, and the coaching staff made his well-being their priority. To honor this amazing effort, we created a small gesture to honor their commitment and Kaden's importance to our community. 
 
Recently, at our annual auction dinner, The Footy Ball, attendees were given a "Cleats for Kaden" scarf (pictured above) as they listened to Coach Ronnel and our Executive Director tell Kaden's story. After the success of the event and the reception of the scarves, we realized that this story should be spread to our wider audience. If those folks could come together for Kaden, how can we all show up for the next kid who needs a way onto the pitch? 
 
Please follow the link below to donate to the "Cleats for Kaden" campaign and help us fill the pitch with children who can use the opportunity; there is no telling what healing we could do or what light we might bring to their lives. 
 
 
11.10.23_SITS_FOOTYBALL--6.1
 

 

David Hopings

Soccer in the Streets Director of Marketing & Communications

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