Washtenaw sheriff's employees compete against homeless soccer team in fundraiser
Washtenaw County sheriff's employees will compete against the local homeless soccer team to raise funds to send the team to the Homeless U.S. Cup.
The fundraiser will be held from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, March 28 at the Worldwide Sports Center, 2140 Oak Valley Drive in Ann Arbor.
The Washtenaw County Street Soccer Team (S.S. PORT) is hoping to raise enough money to travel to Washington, D.C. for the the Homeless U.S. Cup from July 30 to Aug. 2.
Players will also vie for a spot on the national team, which will compete in the Homeless World Cup in Rio De Janerio, Brazil, this September.
Officials say team participation has been shown to help the homeless connect their players with housing, mental health and/or substance abuse treatment, jail diversion service and community resources.
The March 28 game is open to the public and is free to attend. A suggested $5 ticket/raffle donation can be obtained at the door and will be entered into the raffle to win one of more than 30 raffle prizes that have been donated by local Washtenaw County retailers.
Comments
newsreader
Sat, Mar 20, 2010 : 10:13 a.m.
@ Malorie: Thanks for asking more. This is definitely not a joke. The Homeless Team helps people who are homeless and formerly homeless by encouraging a low cost, healthy activity. It also allows positive interaction between law enforcement and people who are homeless, and vice versa. Team members DO NOT get to attend the competitions unless they are compliant with all legal obligations and are able to effectively interact with the team members and the public, and have participated in numerous practice games. The team allows formerly homeless people to mentor and assist people who are currently homeless, and allow all to have something they are successful at, even if for an afternoon. If you haven't seen a game or a practice -- it is definitely worth it, and my understanding is just about everyone is volunteering their time. Homelessness occurs for a variety of reasons including health, lack of financial resources, bad luck, and lack of positive social networks -- in my experience it is usually a combination of these and many more factors. Particularly in these times when it is harder to find work (and employers are having to offer fewer hours to each employee too even when already employed) we are all becoming more at risk of homelessness ourselves. Glad to see that these participants are helping to bring awareness to this issue that does affect us all.
M.
Thu, Mar 18, 2010 : 8:20 p.m.
What do the winners get besides a trip to the Homeless US Cup and Homeless World Cup? What exactly do the donations support? How does this help the homeless? Is this a joke??? It isn't April 1st yet.