Mitzvah and Service Projects

Kids from other soccer clubs have been helping us out through mitzvah and service projects. Zach Kades from Lower Merion Soccer Club is working on a soccer clinic whose proceeds will go to Starfinder.

It’s Zach’s bar mitzvah project, but he and his dad Howard both hope it will become an annual benefit project.

Leah Kaye just turned 13 and she’s been playing soccer with the Colonial Soccer Club since she was just seven years old. For her bat mitzvah, she cleaned up the Colonial Soccer Club’s storage area and donated more than 50 unused kits (jerseys, shorts, socks) – which means Starfinder’s teens now have uniforms for the spring leagues.

She didn’t stop there, though.

So far she’s raised $670 to get the uniforms embroidered with Starfinder’s logo and to support the teen program, and she’s running a gear drive for cleats, shin-guards, and other equipment. Leah and her dad Adam both had great things to say about the experience.

Here’s what Leah shared in a social media post to spread the word about the gear drive:

“Playing soccer has been a passion of mine since I was 7 years old. I have been fortunate that my parents can buy me the necessary equipment like cleats and shin guards as I grow each year. I realize that not all young athletes are able to afford these necessities to play soccer. For my mitzvah project, I have chosen to collect cleats, shin guards and goalie equipment, as well as monetary donations to benefit Starfinder, a local organization that enhances the personal growth of underserved youth through soccer and learning experiences that engage, inspire, and motivate.”

Her dad thanked us for the opportunity and said: “It’s been a nice opportunity for her and I to connect around something a bit more important than just playing the sport.”

And Devyn Cohen is starting young. She’s in fourth grade, so her bat mitzvah is several years away. But she wants to do her project over several years so it has the greatest possible impact, which is something her older sister did. She’s still working on project ideas – maybe gear drives or fundraising to buy healthy snacks – that will help give Philadelphia’s kids a chance to play the game she’s loved since kindergarten.