Great Place Award 2019
The Atlanta Regional Commission announced the 2019 recipients of the agency’s Developments of Excellence awards today during the annual State of the Region breakfast. Each year, the awards honor developments and places that are improving quality of life for residents.
ARC Recognizes Sustainability, Economic Catalysts in 2019 Developments of Excellence
The Atlanta Regional Commission announced the 2019 recipients of the agency’s Developments of Excellence awards today during the annual State of the Region breakfast. Each year, the awards honor developments and places that are improving the quality of life for residents.
The top Development of Excellence recognition went to the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design at Georgia Tech. This groundbreaking example of sustainability leadership was constructed to the Living Building Challenge 3.1 certification standard, the world’s most rigorous building performance benchmark.
Great Place Award:
Station Soccer – Five Points, West End, and East Point
Soccer in the Streets, MARTA, City of Atlanta, City of East Point, Atlanta United FC, and TransFormation Alliance
Station Soccer, a collaboration of Soccer in the Streets, MARTA, the City of Atlanta, and Atlanta United, reinvents transit stations as a public space for community activity. The transformation of unused space into soccer fields has made the sport accessible to a new generation of athletes.
The three Station Soccer locations are part of a larger vision of 10 transit-connected sites that model healthy recreation and community building by activating otherwise empty spaces.
The station locations also provide opportunities for youth education and engagement. Off-field programs offer lessons in life skills and financial literacy, with learning centers and community gardens planned for future phases.
“Many thanks to the Atlanta Regional Commission for this prestigious recognition,” said Director of Strategic Projects, Sanjay Patel. “We are fortunate to have a fantastic group of collaborative partners that realize access to connected safe spaces providing sport for development and social connectivity are key attributes in cultivating healthy communities.”
Link to article: https://atlantaregional.org/community-development/comprehensive-planning/developments-of-excellence-awards/
Atlanta United Foundation Gives $280,570 to Expand ‘Mentoring through Soccer’ Program
The Atlanta United Foundation, an affiliate of The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, announces a grant of $280,570 over three years in support of ‘Mentoring through Soccer,’ a joint youth program of the Latin American Association (LAA) and Soccer in the Streets (SITS).
Atlanta United Foundation Gives $280,570 to Expand ‘Mentoring through Soccer’ Program
Community Grant Supports College and Career Readiness for Latino Youth along
Buford Highway Corridor
The Atlanta United Foundation, an affiliate of The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, announces a grant of $280,570 over three years in support of ‘Mentoring through Soccer,’ a joint youth program of the Latin American Association (LAA) and Soccer in the Streets (SITS).
The LAA, a nearly 50-year old nonprofit dedicated to empowering Latinos to adapt, integrate, and thrive, has been serving middle- and high-school aged youth of Latino communities for over two decades. The LAA’s youth education work centers on mentoring designed to prepare Latino youth for college and career. SITS is a nonprofit that works to develop young leaders so they can lead rich lives and cultivate healthy communities through sports-based youth development. Known for bringing the game of soccer to youth who are excluded due to their economic race or cultural circumstances, SITS uses soccer to prepare them for success in life on and off the field.
This support from the Atlanta United Foundation will allow both organizations to combine and expand their youth-centered programming. ‘Mentoring through Soccer’ will facilitate group and one-on-one mentoring, using soccer to reinforce soft skills, leadership development, and college readiness. Centered on the Cross Keys cluster of DeKalb County School District (DCSD), ‘Mentoring through Soccer’ has begun at Sequoyah Middle School and will expand to high school and elementary school in years two and three of the grant. Over 90% of the students in the Cross Keys cluster are Latino. Over 1,500 students attend this Title I high school, and over 75% are eligible for free or reduced lunch.
LAA Managing Director of Education Mr. Eliezer Velez says, “We are so grateful for the support of Atlanta United. Our students seem themselves in the players and can do so much with the right support and guidance.”
“Our mission at the Atlanta United Foundation is to make soccer more accessible across the state of Georgia,” says Abby Lutzenkirchen, Program Associate, The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. “The ‘Mentoring Through Soccer’ program provides a unique combination of physical play and mentorship that will result in increased confidence and leadership skills, and we’re proud to be a part of bringing this program to young fans of our club.”
“Expanding the mentoring program with the LAA through the grant from the Atlanta United Foundation brings more opportunities for our youth to succeed,” said Phil Hill, SITS Executive Director. “Programs like this one are a key element in our mission of developing young leaders thought our sport-based development programs.”
This grant follows Atlanta United and Major League Soccer’s support of Sequoyah Middle School, parts of the Cross Keys cluster in DeKalb County. In honor of Campeones Cup, the annual match between the American and Mexican champion teams, Major League Soccer (MLS) refurbished the soccer field at
Sequoyah, including new grass, landscaping of the trees, new goals, and a Campeones Cup-themed mural by local artist Thomas Turner.
Keeping the West End Community a Vibrant Space
The West End has become a home for many Soccer in the Streets youth players and StationSoccer- West End field has become their second home. Alysia Boney, a five-year resident, and mother to a youth player says she has seen a change in the West End over the past year.
The West End has become a home for many Soccer in the Streets youth players and StationSoccer- West End field has become their second home. Alysia Boney, a five-year resident, and mother to a youth player says she has seen a change in the West End over the past year.
“It gives all the kids in the neighborhood, no matter of means or money, a chance to play soccer on a quality soccer field,” said Boney. “It not only does that, but it keeps the area around it a safe space and environment for the kids.”
This all began when StationSoccer - West End opened in September 2018, it was converted from an unused space into a vibrant green soccer field for all the residences of the West End community to use. The goal for West End and other StationSoccer locations is to provide access to the beautiful game of soccer while tackling the barrier of transportation.
The West End youth players have been highly responsive to the field and they take great care of the space that has been provided to them. They not only take pride in their field, but they take pride in the surrounding neighborhood.
Coach Joel Apudo of the West End United team has taken it upon himself to lead the youth players and parents of the West End to help keep their home beautiful. Each month a group of ten members or so of the Soccer in the Streets family has volunteered their time to pick up trash in the West End as part of the community beautification committee projects.
“I knew this volunteer opportunity was a perfect fit for our West End Community Program,” said Apudo. “With the motto of the organization and the passion these kids have for their community I wanted to help them give back. And it shows they can keep their community a vibrant space. You can see that they take pride in cleaning up their own streets or the streets where their friends/grandparents live. It is also nice to see the kids suggest their own routes. It shows how familiar they are with what is around them, and it gives them a chance to change it.”
Apudo has been a long-time resident of the West End and its a true home for him. It’s a place he feels he can have a positive effect on someone’s life every time he steps out of his door. Soccer is bringing everyone closer together and Joel wants to remain apart of that.
And as a mother of a youth player being led by Coach Apudo, Alysia Boney has seen Joel become an excellent leader over the year on and off the field for her son.
“Soccer in the Streets and Joel has been a blessing in disguise for my son, Joshua,” Boney said. “After what he saw the program had to offer, he knew this is what he wanted to do. He has grown over the past year and Coach Joel has led him to be an excellent young boy. When we participate in these community volunteer projects it shows the kids that there is more to offer in these soccer programs.”