Fun Fall Season for SCORES

Poet-athletes are learning alliteration like used above, and many other poetic devices, as well as honing their soccer skills and having fun this fall!

game time!

We're already mid-way through the season and have much to celebrate.  There is some wonderful writing happening in each site during workshops and one may witness positive sportsmanship at weekly match-ups between the schools.

face painting at Fall Frenzy

The season began with Fall Frenzy on September 15th.  We're very thankful for Regis University's Women's Soccer and their coach, J.B. Belzer.  Regis hosted SCORES for the 8th year!  The weather was wonderful and there's nothing better than a Saturday of soccer to start the season.

A continued partnership with University of Denver professor, Liz Drogin has provided volunteers from a first year seminar to work regularly in three SCORES schools.  This has been fun for students on both sides!

Several poet-athletes had the opportunity to perform early this season at an event for Social Venture Partners during which Cowell and Eagleton students learned from professional spoken word artists and shared brand new poems with the crowd.

On September 29th Denver joined nine other SCORES cities in attempting to break the Guinness World Record for most people dribbling a soccer ball at one time.  Several Cowell coaches and students joined in that fun too!

All teams are preparing for the upcoming 13th Annual Poetry Slam to be held again this year at Abraham Lincoln High School in Denver.  Please join us Wednesday, November 14 at 5:30pm and witness the poet-athletes' last hurrah of the fall season.

Back-to-School Time for Denver Students

Brandon Blew among the riders with
Superintendent Boasberg  and Mayor Hancock  Monday

All SCORES sites join other Denver Public Schools in returning to class this week.  We're really excited about our 13th year in Denver and ready for a great fall season!

How can you help us succeed?  Donate time on a Friday game day to referee, drop off some school supplies at our office to share with coaches, write us a check of any amount to put toward program costs, support us in classrooms and playgrounds any afternoon you want to see smiles of our great kids...

There are many ways to get involved with America SCORES Denver.  We look forward to having your help!  Welcome back, everyone.

It's Summertime for SCORES

The spring season was full of reasons for celebration.  SCORES values of Commitment, Leadership and Teamwork were evident in daily sessions, game days and service projects!

Projects on display

Teams gave back to their communities in many ways including planting new trees on school grounds, raising money for The Children's Hospital, MADD and local animal shelters, cleaning up yards of neighbors and community gardens, reading to early childhood classes, picking up litter and recycling education, and holding assemblies on topics ranging from bullying prevention to getting rid of graffiti.  SCORES' service learning had a broad reach and significant impact this season.

Our partnership with University of Denver students was fun and schools enjoyed having DU students join their after school sessions and activities.  After hosting DU students in many schools it was wonderful to be able to spend time on their campus-- Jamboree! was hosted by University of Denver the evening of May 18th.  SCORES participants played games on the practice fields after meeting members of the DU men's soccer team, and many DU students volunteered by handing out snacks, books, and face-painting.  Thanks to DU for helping us celebrate our season!

As always we wish to thank our coaches and liaisons for jobs well-done and working toward shared goals to create positive opportunities for extending learning during out-of school-time.  Every day teachers and community members who work for America SCORES Denver help inspire youth to lead healthy lives, be engaged students, and have the confidence and character to make a difference in the world.

Have a great summer, everyone!  We look forward to seeing you all in August.

Heading to the White House for Let's Move Soccer Clinic with First Lady

This morning six America SCORES Denver students left D.I.A. for the opportunity of a lifetime.

Tuesday, May 15 they will travel to The White House to participate in the Let's Move Soccer Clinic with First Lady Michelle Obama and the Major League Soccer Champion L.A. Galaxy.

"These six students, representing three Denver Public Schools elementary schools, have demonstrated extraordinary teamwork and leadership skills and an incredible commitment to the SCORES program this year, and are excellent representatives for our organization. The invite to the White House is a life altering opportunity for these poet-athletes, and is one that they will remember the rest of their lives," said Brandon Blew, Executive Director of America SCORES Denver.

Students were selected from Gust Elementary, Newlon Elementary, and Eagleton Elementary. Funding for this once in a lifetime opportunity for DPS students was made possible by generous community donations to America SCORES and the DPS Foundation.  "We are honored that the White House recognizes the importance of what we do to address childhood obesity. Our hope is that we will continue to see even more support locally," added Blew.

We are so excited to receive more pictures from their day and will make sure to post about their White House visit!

What's Happening in Denver?

It's been almost a month since our supporters joined us at Inspired Art to eat, drink and enjoy our students' poetry and buy the art inspired by it!  Where have we been?  What are we doing?

Aaron & Regina in NYC

So many great things are happening we haven't had time to report them all!

Two poet-athletes were accompanied by a Denver chaperone and our own Executive Director to New York City April 14 - 17 for a trip of a lifetime and special performances at the historic Apollo Theater for America SCORES National Poetry Slam!  Aaron from Eagleton Elementary performed his original poem "Demon Cats" and Regina from Barnum Elementary performed "The Beautiful Game".  We're proud of both our poet-athletes for representing Denver!

Newlon boys write about
 their community

Ten schools' teams are busily managing service-learning projects led by the poet-athletes.  Drop by a writing workshop these days and you're likely to hear how long it takes a plastic bottle or an apple core to decompose, how much the City of Denver spends per year on graffiti removal, what kinds of trees or plants need what kind of soil and light to thrive, how many stray animals are picked up and what we can do to help, or even learn some tips about bully prevention.  It's pretty great what a team of motivated participants can make happen in their own communities when they learn and work together!

Cowell at Cheltenham

Our last home and away games were played this week, with players displaying the skills they've acquired through the season, as well as great sportsmanship.  Everyone is looking forward to next Friday's Jamboree! at the University of Denver.

D.U. students introduce
themselves at a visit to Knapp

We're excited to be partnering with D.U. this season.  Students from three sections of a writing course have observed SCORES sessions, volunteered at events and surveyed our parents and coaches as part of their studies this semester.  These students will be featured authors of blog posts, Facebook updates and SCOOP articles as we wrap up our spring season.  Keep watching!

Inspired Art next week!

Our office space has original works of art filling desks and empty space instead of soccer balls, jerseys and journals. What's going on here?

It's time for Inspired Art, of course!

The Inspired Art project takes poems written by our poet-athletes and asks local artists to create original works inspired by their words. These works of art are featured for auction on Thursday, April 12, 2012 with proceeds going to support America SCORES Denver. This project gives a new view of the SCORES students' words, and brings to life their creativity and imagination.

Please join us for our 3rd annual event where we showcase the poetry of our after-school program's participants in partnership with Colorado artists's original work!

Thursday, April 12, 2012
5:30 PM - 8:00 PM
at ARTWORK NETWORK 
878 Santa Fe Drive, Denver

Tickets can be purchased online at a discount by clicking here BUY TICKETS NOW and are $30 in advance or $40 at the door on the 12th.

Tony Ortega
“La Bici” Inspired by My Senses

             

Cynthia Ligeros
"Light Touches the World"
Inspired by Sunset

Beverley Harper Tinsley
art inspired by Demon Cats

Want a preview? Check out the Inspired Art Denver website Art Page for more pictures of the art paired with the poems that inspired each artist, and plan to spend Thursday night with supporters of America SCORES Denver!

Thanks to:
Presenting Sponsor, The Sutherland Foundation
In-Kind Sponsors, Starbucks Coffee Company and Talon Wine Brands

            

Brothers with a Mission to Make a Difference

Marko & Nick unloading the gear

What do you get when you add energetic, motivated children to a supported community and youth soccer?

An inspiring story of two brothers who want to make a difference in communities that don't look like theirs!

Meet Nick and Marko, Steck Elementary School Student Council leaders, who organized and operated collections of gently used soccer gear for America SCORES Denver through their school and the teams at Colorado Rapids Academy.

Nick and Marko's messages to the SCORES participants as shared by each:

          Message From Nick:

Hi SCORES SOCCER STARS! The students from Steck Elementary School collected 92 items for the students at Scores Denver including: 24 pairs of cleats, 2 pair goalkeeper gloves, 13 pairs of shin guards, 6 pairs of socks, 15 t-shirts, 14 shorts and 18 soccer balls, for you to use during recess and after-school. I hope you have lots of fun playing soccer at your schools, and score a million goals too! Go SCORES!!

          From Marko and the Rapids Youth Academy:

Hello America SCORES-Denver students! Last week the Rapids Academy boys and girls held a soccer gear collection drive for your club. We are sending a big box of brand new cleats, socks, balls and soccer bags too. Have fun juggling, making great moves while dribbling, and score two million goals!!

Donations by Steck Elementary 

America SCORES Denver staff members are so appreciative of these boys' efforts!  It's especially wonderful because our spring programming has a community focus and each of our teams are currently involved in service-learning. The voices of youth in Denver communities are powerful and inspiring!   

Thanks to Colorado Rapids Academy for "kicking" in the gear bags,
socks, and a box full of brand new cleats! 

Big, Exciting News for SCORES and Our Partners!

On March 7, 2012, the U.S. Soccer Foundation awarded a $300,000 Social Innovation Fund Sub-Grant to Colorado Fusion Soccer Club to support the implementation of Soccer for Success in Denver, in collaboration with America SCORES Denver and The Piton Foundation. 

                                           


Soccer for Success is the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s after-school, sports-based youth development program that uses soccer as a tool to combat childhood obesity and provides nutrition education and mentorship to children in at-risk communities.  Read the full Press Release and share the news with your network!


This is really exciting for our community and our partners at Colorado Fusion Soccer Club, with whom we will be working to serve 1,200 students!  Receiving this grant will allow us to take soccer into a group of schools within the area referred to as the Children's Corridor, a 14-mile strip of Denver and Aurora with a high population of children living in poverty and/or at-risk of being left behind.


The Social Innovation Fund requires that each federal dollar granted be matched by the intermediaries and again by the organizations selected to receive a Sub-Grant. Colorado Fusion Soccer Club was one of thirteen non-profit organizations across the nation to receive the 2012 Soccer for Success SIF Sub-Grant. Implementation of Soccer for Success will begin in Fall/Winter 2012. In Denver, The Piton Foundation is leading the efforts to raise the local match.


We are thankful for the partnership of Colorado Fusion Soccer Club and the Piton Foundation, and are looking forward to making the plans on paper a reality in the coming months!


Check back often to watch our progress and read our news.

Preparing for Spring

It may still look and feel like winter outside, but we're busy with preparations for America SCORES Denver's spring 2012 season.

We have a lot going on--National Poetry SLAM! poets' meetings and practice for the exiting April trip to New York City; soccer and writing coach training sessions are next week for the whole SCORES Corps; Inspired Art project artists began submitting their original works as inspired by our very own poet-athletes; and students in all ten schools are getting geared up for their first sessions March 12. Make sure to check out our upcoming events to the right and join us for games or events.

What could be better than a Friday afternoon in spring?  Volunteering outside with SCORES kids on our game days!  We love volunteers to offer their time and talents at our special events as well...

• Are you a business owner who could be a sponsor?  We need help with April's Inspired Art, July's SCORES Cup, and have many opportunities for businesses to help continue our programs in Denver schools.
• Do you have friends with bare walls?  Make sure to get tickets to Inspired Art, at Artwork Network in Denver's Art District on Santa Fe, April 12! 
• Are you, or do you have a connection who might be, an expert who would be a guest speaker in our schools when our students research their community projects through the spring service learning?
• Do you have public speaking or poetry performance experience?  Let us know you'd like to help our National Poetry SLAM! representatives practice for their big day at the Apollo Theater.
• Are you a runner?  Sign up for the Colfax Marathon because we're a charity partner!
• Love to help but can't get off work in time for weekday activities?  Volunteer at our Jamboree! round-robin style tournament to be held at Dick's Sporting Goods Park, May 18 from 5:00 to 8:00PM.

We'll find a place for you if you want to work with us!  Contact Nikole at 303-832-5879 or nbrunscarey@americascores.org

A New Year & New Additions to the Calendar

Happy 2012 to our supporters!  We hope everyone enjoyed a healthy holiday season and that you're having a great winter so far.

Even though this is our "off season" we're busy at America SCORES Denver.  Our Coach Across America members have been running winter sessions with several schools in both P.E. classes and during recess hours.  Some of our poet-athletes are practicing their poems for the upcoming National Poetry SLAM! Auditions to be hosted by Starbucks in REI on February 1.  Planning is in the works for a great spring season packed full of student-led service projects and soccer fun.  We also look forward to special events...

Please SAVE THE DATE for Inspired Art, to be held at Artwork Network Thursday, April 12, 2012.  We are hearing great things about this year's poetry and welcome returning and new artists to join the project.  Please visit the Poetry page to see what inspires you this year and make sure to visit the Artists' Corner to sign up, or forward the opportunity to those you know who would like to be a part of the magic!