"Football is life" - Dani Rojas (Ted Lasso)

Well...maybe not...but soccer sure does make life more fun! And that's how I've felt about soccer for as long as I can remember! I realize that it's made my life so much better...I've met so many of my friends through soccer and grown as a person because of it...that I wanted to make sure I could share that feeling with EVERYONE! It occurred to me that maybe not everybody in my neighborhood had the same access or experiences, so I started to look into whether or not my local community (Lower Merion) had a similar sort of a soccer club like they have for Challenger Softball, which engages both the neurotypical and special needs community together, through sport. Turns out they have an AMAZING group through the Lower Merion Soccer Club (LMSC...my soccer club, by the way) that supports special needs soccer! No need to reinvent the wheel, phew! I was so fortunate to be able to plug right in to this amazing group for the fall season and join them on the pitch every weekend not only for the athletics, but the laughs, and the competitiveness of the sport we all love....soccer!

This has been such a dedicated group of people! Everyone has shown up week after week, from when it was hot at the beginning of the season...all the way to the cold Sunday mornings in November, for Coach Brendan's workouts and scrimmages! By the time the season wrapped up in November, I learned that they were in need of funding to continue this program. While the coaches are generously volunteering their time, the fields, equipment, jerseys, etc...are not free. There is such an excitement about what everyone is doing...and even more interest in trying to GROW the program (think: spring season!), but all of this requires one important thing... money. That's where you guys all come in. But let me back up a minute.

Something you might not know about me is I'm getting ready to be a bar mitzvah. And as part of that journey we have been asked to take on the service project. This is very meaningful for me because it helps me deepen my core values....sharpens how I should really be looking at the world and what is important: community, respect, selflessness, caring for others...you know, the stuff that makes us all FEEL good at the end of the day! This is what I've really connected with through this LMSC soccer program. While I LOVE working out and playing in matches with my regular travel team (Shout out to the LMSC 2013 Reds)...it's the Sunday mornings with the 'Stars and Buddies' that make me laugh, smile and just FEEL good about life.

My ask here is for you all to dig as deep as you can to contribute/donate/give to this program to help us not only continue what's been such an amazing opportunity for so many people in the Lower Merion area... but to help it grow and thrive for such a special group of kids and young adults who would otherwise not have access to a soccer program.

Thank you!

Andrew

For more information:

LMSC Special Needs Soccer - Stars and Buddies