'Cats Visit Street Soccer 945

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Davidson field hockey team demonstrated its culinary skills for a great cause, cooking dinner for Street Soccer 945, a soccer program for the homeless, last Wednesday.

A program of the Urban Ministry Center in Charlotte, Street Soccer 945 was originally founded by Davidson men's soccer alumnus Lawrence Cann. Street Soccer 945 was the founding program of Street Soccer USA, a national network of 16 grassroots soccer programs for the homeless. Lawrence's brother, Rob, is the current director of Street Soccer 945.

Davidson Field Hockey - Street Soccer 945

"It was a great experience to spend time with athletes from all different backgrounds,” said junior Ellie Szykowny. “By the end of the night we were singing along to an impromptu piano concert and sharing inside jokes. It's great for us to be able to make a connection with members of the Charlotte community."

The Wildcats cooked up a large meal, brought it to the Urban Ministry Center, and then dined with the street soccer team. The teams had a great time getting to know each other, sitting together by their respective positions on the field. The 'Cats also gave the members of the soccer team water bottles with motivational quotations written on them.

"I think we were captivated by the sense of family that had developed between the Street Soccer players,” said junior Christine Rua. “There was a very obvious feeling of mutual commitment and consideration within the team that we as athletes could easily understand and connect with. The experience didn't feel like 'service' - simply put, they were letting us see inside their family and we were letting them see inside ours."

Street Soccer 945 is the first year around soccer program for the homeless and impoverished in the United States. Street Soccer 945 recognizes healthy living, a constructive use of leisure time, a community of teammates that supports you, a personal relationship with people who can help you achieve your goals- these are the key ingredients to anyone's well being. For people who are homeless these components are rarely within grasp. The positive power of sports is a remarkable tool for delivering these components to people caught in the trap of homelessness. Street Soccer 945 engages over 100 participants annually, and 75% of participants make a significant life change by entering drug treatment, going back to school, finding employment and housing or re-connecting with family.

“The friends you make and the lessons you learn from being a part of a team can have a tremendous impact on your life, so we enjoyed being able to support Street Soccer 945,” said head coach Ginny Sutton. “It was really fun putting this together and it was great to see different levels of athletes bonding,”

"Our time spent with the members of Street Soccer USA was wonderful," said freshman Madison Parrish. "These people are truly amazing. Many of us are fortunate to have been blessed with the good things in life, the security and support of a loving home, and the opportunity to pursue our life's dreams. Tonight we were presented with one of the biggest lessons life can ever give us. For today we witnessed that it's not just the good things that make us human, it's the desire and drive that lies deep within all of us. The desire to grasp what life gives us, the good times and the bad, and to make that into something that is distinctly our own, and something that we are forever proud of. The world is ours for the taking. I truly wish the best for all of the members of the Street Soccer USA team and their season!"

The Wildcats will return to action Saturday to face Longwood in the final match of the regular season. The 'Cats will honor their three seniors prior to the match, which is set to start at 1 p.m.

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