San Antonio FC midfielder Carlos Alvarez walked through the fence of the West Side playground and was reminded of home.
He grew up in East Los Angeles, in a part of town with a makeup and demographics similar to the San Antonio neighborhood where he stood on Tuesday. The worn-down playground looked the same as one he may have climbed 20 years ago.
So Alvarez grabbed gloves, lumber and power tools and went to work fixing it up.
“I grew up like this,” Alvarez said. “I grew up on playgrounds that needed repair, and needed the help of volunteers. Hopefully, I’m coming back here to play soccer with these kids.”
Alvarez, his SAFC teammates and the entire San Antonio Stars roster pitched in across the city on Tuesday to bake cookies, walk dogs and find out how hundreds of volunteers have been transforming our city this summer.
It was part of the Team Up Day of Service, where Silver & Black Give Back awarded $100,000 in grants to 20 youth-serving nonprofits as part of the Team Up Challenge.
In the spirit of teaming up, SAFC and San Antonio Stars players volunteered together with the nonprofits at other locations on Tuesday.
The 20 Summer-long projects ranged from Girl Zone’s summer arts program to the Bexar County Family Justice Center Foundation’s health and wellness camp to Wreaths Across America’s remembrance of veterans. Throughout the summer, the nonprofits have worked to address community needs.
On Tuesday, every non-profit organization in the program held a day of service to give back to San Antonio. Alvarez, Rafa Castillo and other SAFC players joined Multi-level Educational Youth Outreach (MEYO) on the city’s West Side to repair a playground. After practice in the morning, Castillo was on his hands and knees spreading gravel, while Castillo was building a new border for the playground.
Soccer and basketball players alike spent time with dogs at the Humane Society to prepare the animals for adoption. And at the Mission Road Developmental Center, players teamed up with the centers’ Koalas youth program to bake cookies for a Meals on Wheels Delivery.
“We’ve been so grateful to be a part of the Team Up Challenge, and for our students to see positive role models like these players out here working hard to improve their neighborhood, it makes all the difference,” said Lea Watson, director of MEYO.
Now in its sixth year, the Team Up Challenge, a service-learning program, empowers children to give back to their communities through service projects.
During the school year, the Team Up Challenge awarded $150,000 in grants, including $20,000 each to five different schools.
To read more on the Summer Team Up Challenge projects, visit www.teamupchallenge.com. Schools can apply for the 2016-17 Team Up Challenge beginning on August 15.
“We really love San Antonio and want to get out there,” said Stars guard Sydney Colson. “It’s fun seeing a lot of young kids volunteering, and seeing how much they care about improving the lives around them.”
For the USL and WNBA players, the day of service was a chance to unite over the community that binds them together. At the Humane Society, SAFC defender Sam McBride didn’t just mingle with Monique Currie, Kayla Alexander and other Stars players, he also became friends with Beverly, an 8-year-old retriever mix.
“You should come and adopt my girl Beverly right now,” McBride said. “It’s really cool to meet others in the organization, especially to go out and help the community with them.”
San Antonio FC midfielder Carlos Alvarez walked through the fence of the West Side playground and was reminded of home.
He grew up in East Los Angeles, in a part of town with a makeup and demographics similar to the San Antonio neighborhood where he stood on Tuesday. The worn-down playground looked the same as one he may have climbed 20 years ago.
So Alvarez grabbed gloves, lumber and power tools and went to work fixing it up.
“I grew up like this,” Alvarez said. “I grew up on playgrounds that needed repair, and needed the help of volunteers. Hopefully, I’m coming back here to play soccer with these kids.”
Alvarez, his SAFC teammates and the entire San Antonio Stars roster pitched in across the city on Tuesday to bake cookies, walk dogs and find out how hundreds of volunteers have been transforming our city this summer.
It was part of the Team Up Day of Service, where Silver & Black Give Back awarded $100,000 in grants to 20 youth-serving nonprofits as part of the Team Up Challenge.
In the spirit of teaming up, SAFC and San Antonio Stars players volunteered together with the nonprofits at other locations on Tuesday.
The 20 Summer-long projects ranged from Girl Zone’s summer arts program to the Bexar County Family Justice Center Foundation’s health and wellness camp to Wreaths Across America’s remembrance of veterans. Throughout the summer, the nonprofits have worked to address community needs.
On Tuesday, every non-profit organization in the program held a day of service to give back to San Antonio. Alvarez, Rafa Castillo and other SAFC players joined Multi-level Educational Youth Outreach (MEYO) on the city’s West Side to repair a playground. After practice in the morning, Castillo was on his hands and knees spreading gravel, while Castillo was building a new border for the playground.
Soccer and basketball players alike spent time with dogs at the Humane Society to prepare the animals for adoption. And at the Mission Road Developmental Center, players teamed up with the centers’ Koalas youth program to bake cookies for a Meals on Wheels Delivery.
“We’ve been so grateful to be a part of the Team Up Challenge, and for our students to see positive role models like these players out here working hard to improve their neighborhood, it makes all the difference,” said Lea Watson, director of MEYO.
Now in its sixth year, the Team Up Challenge, a service-learning program, empowers children to give back to their communities through service projects.
During the school year, the Team Up Challenge awarded $150,000 in grants, including $20,000 each to five different schools.
To read more on the Summer Team Up Challenge projects, visit www.teamupchallenge.com. Schools can apply for the 2016-17 Team Up Challenge beginning on August 15.
“We really love San Antonio and want to get out there,” said Stars guard Sydney Colson. “It’s fun seeing a lot of young kids volunteering, and seeing how much they care about improving the lives around them.”
For the USL and WNBA players, the day of service was a chance to unite over the community that binds them together. At the Humane Society, SAFC defender Sam McBride didn’t just mingle with Monique Currie, Kayla Alexander and other Stars players, he also became friends with Beverly, an 8-year-old retriever mix.
“You should come and adopt my girl Beverly right now,” McBride said. “It’s really cool to meet others in the organization, especially to go out and help the community with them.”