Press Release
FOR PLANNING PURPOSES: Friday, June 28, 2019
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Lizette Olmos, (240) 706-2624 mobile
Ingrid Zelaya, (301) 717-4492 mobile
CASA to Host Youth Summer Soccer Clinic For 7th and 8th Grade
Buck Lodge Middle School Students
Hyattsville, MD – This summer, CASA will host a series of youth soccer clinics to 7th and 8th graders from Langley Park at no cost to them or their families. The program constitutes one part of an ongoing effort to enhance quality of life, access to resources, and police-community relations in Prince George’s County’s Langley Park community.
Thirty students from Buck Lodge Middle School will have the opportunity to enroll in the clinic, which is open to all genders and skill levels. Upon completion of the program, participants will be eligible to continue playing organized soccer in the fall with the Northern Gateway Soccer Club, again at no cost.
The Youth Summer Soccer Clinic was created after a 2016 research study conducted by CASA and Howard University revealed the need for additional extracurricular activities to empower youth in Langley Park. To address this need, CASA partnered with the Prince George’s County Police Athletic League, Prince George’s County Council Member Deni Taveras, the Northern Gateway Soccer Club, and Elite Vision Football Club under a Department of Justice grant program to give local youth an enjoyable summer experience, help them develop various skills, and foster positive relationships between them and local law enforcement officers and other mentors.
CASA’s Executive Director, Gustavo Torres, said, “We are so pleased to have the opportunity to partner with Prince George’s County Police Department’s award-winning PAL program and be able to bring this soccer program to the youth in our community.
Torres refers to the Hero Award that was presented in June to Prince George’s County Police Department by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund and MAGLITE for its juvenile crime prevention efforts through the Police Athletic League (PAL), making it the first law enforcement agency to receive the award.
The Summer Youth Soccer Clinic will take place each Thursday evening between July 11 and August 29 in the heart of Langley Park on 15th Ave. All necessary equipment will be provided. For more information or to register for the Youth Summer Soccer Clinic, visit www.ngsckick.org or contact CASA’s Public Safety Program Coordinator, Adrienne Helms, at 301-346-2506 or [email protected].
