SCOOP Fall 2015 Newsletter by Jake Lloyd

DC SCORES would like to thank the local and national funders who make our program a success* LEAGUE CHAMPIONS City Fund D.C. Department of Health D.C. Office of the State Superintendent of Education D.C. United U.S. Soccer Foundation TEAM CHAMPIONS Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation D.C. Children & Youth Investment Trust Corporation Eugene & Agnes E. Meyer Foundation SCORING CHAMPIONS Aetna Foundation Clark Construction D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities Office of the D.C. Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Lois & Richard England Family Foundation Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility John Edward Fowler Memorial Foundation Hattie M. Strong Foundation The Urban Institute/World Bank Group Measure4Change Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. World Bank Community Outreach Program MVPs Herb Block Foundation Capital for Children Commonweal Foundation D.C. Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs (OLA) DIRECTV District Sports The Frechette Family Foundation Lainoff Family Foundation The George Preston Marshall Foundation Morningstar Philanthropic Fund News Corp Share Fund Soccer ’94 TD Bank (TD Charitable Foundation) FANS Clark-Winchcole Foundation Cresa Washington DC The Andrea L. Custis Family Fund Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation Gannett Foundation Corina Higginson Trust

Bruce and Karen Levenson Fund Richard E. and Nancy P. Marriott Foundation Masonic and Eastern Star Home Charities of Washington, DC Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church Novo Nordisk Inc. George Wasserman Family Foundation PricewaterhouseCoopers Ronald McDonald House Charities(R) of Greater Washington, D.C. Venable Foundation Verizon Foundation Wells Fargo Foundation Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP SUPPORTERS The Advisory Board Company ALJAZEERA Alston & Bird LLP Arnold & Porter LLP Bingham McCutchen LLP Blackboard Booz Allen Hamilton CenturyLink CIT Group The Covello Foundation Crowell & Moring Foundation Dimick Foundation Grant Thornton LLP Hogan Lovells US LLP Claude and Nancy Keener Charitable Fund Kirkland & Ellis LLP Klausner Bendler + Associates Jacob & Charlotte Lehrman Foundation Marriott International, Inc. Meltzer Group Employee Giving Fund Merrill Lynch Sephora USA, Inc. Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP Training Resources Group Leslie Wilkes Williams & Connolly LLP Zuckerman Spaeder LLP IN-KIND America’s Color Consultants – Arlington Constant Contact D.C. Stoddert Soccer League DrinkMore Water Fair Chance

Venable LLP Washington Area Girls Soccer League MATCHING GIFTS Breckinridge Capital Advisors DIRECTV Merrill Lynch The Pew Charitable Trusts Soros Fund Charitable Foundation Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

First Book – Washington, DC Hunt4Soccer Junior League of Washington’s Resolution Read Committee Leveling the Playing Field Office Depot Foundation Penya Barcelonista Washington D.C. Princeton AlumniCorps Soccer.com Sport and Spine Rehab Starbucks The Taproot Foundation

*Supporters as of 10/1/2015

League of Champions The League of Champions includes all donors who pledge a major gift every year for at least five years. Anonymous Kevin and Rachel Alansky David Barritt-Flatt Anthony and Armandina Brown Chris Bruneau David and Brigitte Burgett Graeme Bush and Wendy Rudolph James Cain Kyra Chermenteff and Tom Richardson Ronya Corey and Devon McFadden Andrea Custis Clem Dinsmore Loretta DiPietro Kelly Dragelin Tilden and Mary Edwards Chris Finley and Ursula Savarain Kemba Ford Anthony Francavilla Lon Goldstein Steve and Michelle Goodman John Graebner Jay and Cheryl Grauberger Paul Jackson and Tracey Rutnik Omid Jahanbin Cal and Barbara Klausner Sam Klausner Dan and Kathleen Knise

Carl Kravitz and Elizabeth Werner Philip Kroskin Jamaal Lampkin Peter Leibold and Liz McCloskey Connie and Erik Lindenauer Karen Lovitch LMAC Foundation Peter Loge and Zoe Beckerman Don Marshall Jodi and Eldad Moraru John and Livezy More Howard and Gina McMillan, III Amy Nakamoto and Jeremy Edwards David Nicol Tim Preotle Jack and Heather Reagan Stephen Replogle and Skye Earls Chris Richardson Chas and Sara Roades Gene Sachs Dontai Smalls Jan and Angelika Smilek Brendan and Tricia Sullivan Matt Tanielian Darrel Thompson Pierre Vigilance Richard and Batina Washington

SCOOP

Fall 2015 Spring 2013Volume Volume18, 14,Issue Issue1 2

DC SCORES partners with D.C. United

United Soccer Club consolidates with DC SCORES, program expands

Helping kids succeed on the playing field, in school, and in life.

On October 1 D.C. United and DC SCORES publicly announced that beginning with the 2015-16 school year, the D.C. United Foundation and its United Soccer Club have joined forces with award-winning youth development nonprofit DC SCORES to serve more than 2,000 young people across the District of Columbia. By consolidating efforts, overnight, the organizations dramatically enhance and extend their shared mission to improve low-income children’s physical fitness and confidence while building literacy, increasing school engagement, and deepening their connections to their community. Melding DC SCORES’ robust curriculum and proven success with D.C. United’s

name recognition and soccer resources presents an unprecedented opportunity to benefit young people throughout Washington, D.C. “This is a natural union that brings a new level of impact and visibility to the extraordinary work that has been done for years by both DC SCORES and the United Soccer Club,” said D.C. United Chief Operating Officer Tom Hunt. “We are thrilled to combine our resources to maximize programming that is making a difference in the lives of children in the D.C. community.” “We are extremely excited about the potential of this partnership to build the joy of soccer, instill the fun of learning, and bring the power of a team to hundreds

more children,” said DC SCORES Executive Director Bethany Rubin Henderson. This partnership is not intended to fund current DC SCORES sites. Instead, it is focused on expanding the number of schools and families who have access to meaningful, sports-based, whole-child enrichment programs. “We’ve seen in cities across the country how soccer is changing young lives for the better,” said Ed Foster-Simeon, President & CEO of the U.S. Soccer Foundation. “How fitting that this partnership will strengthen the ability of these two fine organizations to serve young people living in our nation’s capital.” Read more, Page 2.

IN THIS ISSUE Executive Director letter, p. 2 New program sites, p. 3 Summer SCORES, p. 4 Alumni success stories, p. 5 Meet new team members, p. 7

Get Involved! Donate! Volunteer! Learn more!

www.DCSCORES.org

1224 M Street, NW Suite 200 Washington, DC 20005 www.DCSCORES.org RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

CFC #82924

What is DC SCORES? DC SCORES tackles the many very real impacts of a life of poverty on a child: a lack of extracurricular enrichment, a lack of adult mentors, and a lack of fitness opportunities. DC SCORES’ school-based, team-based, whole child programming — delivered through free after-school programs and summer camps facilitated by trained youth development professionals — intentionally integrates soccer, poetry, and service-learning to help low-income 3rd-8th graders throughout the District build physical fitness, find their voice, improve their literacy, increase school engagement, and strengthen ties to their community. In 1999, DC SCORES began spinning off affiliate sites around the country. To date, thirteen affiliates are now connected by a national umbrella, America SCORES, serving more than 8,000 at-risk children annually.

From the Executive Director’s Desk Dear DC SCORES fans, 2015-16 promises to be our most exciting year yet! 2,000 children across 50 sites will take part in SCORES programming. This fall alone, DC SCORES poet-athletes will play in more than 130 soccer games and author more than 14,000 original poems. Our new partnership with D.C. United creates new soccer opportunities for our poet-athletes and their hard-working coaches, will bring greater visibility for our work, and help us access new philanthropic investment to allow us to serve even more kids. Our waitlist is currently at 15 schools, and growing. Partnering with D.C. United will help us make sure that every child who wants a team has one. There are many ways for you to get involved with SCORES this fall. Cheer on your favorite team at a game day. Volunteer to referee a soccer game or be a guest critic at a Poetry Slam! rehearsal. Staff an activity booth at Fall Frenzy!, our elementary school soccer tournament / family festival, on October 24. Be inspired by our students’ profound messages and energetic voices at our Poetry Slam! on Dec. 2 and 3. You can learn more about and register for all of these activities on our website: www. dcscores.org I look forward to seeing you on the field or in our classrooms soon! Sincerely,

Bethany Rubin Henderson Executive Director PS: I couldn’t be more excited, also, to welcome six new staff members and four new board members to our team. See Page 7 for more!

Stay Connected! DCSCORES.blogspot.com Facebook.com/DCSCORES Twitter.com/DCSCORES YouTube.com/DCSCORES LinkedIn.com/ company/dc-scores Instagram.com/dc_scores www.DCSCORES.org SCOOP is written and produced by Communications Manager Jake Lloyd

2014-15 DC SCORES By The Numbers

An influx of new staff and board members Fall has brought exciting change to DC SCORES! Not only did we finalize a partnership with Major League Soccer team D.C. United, but we welcomed six new staff members and four board members — many with D.C. United ties. To hear from our newest staff members pictured below, subscribe to our podcast by searching “DC SCORES” in your podcasting app.

DC SCORES Staff Bethany Rubin Henderson Executive Director Katrina Owens Chief of Staff Josh Freedholm Community Engagement Director John Guinan Head of Individual Giving Sean Hinkle Chief Program Officer Chris Hudler Soccer Program Manager Breelle Hunter Soccer Coordinator

From left: Mira Smith, Greg James, Breelle Hunter, Emily Shinogle, Chris Hudler and Travis Worra.

Greg James Athletic Director

DC SCORES Board of Directors

Rachel Klepper Director of Content & Learning

Mr. Anthony Brown Chair Vice President, HR Brickman Group Mr. Kevin Alansky Chief Marketing Officer CircleBack, Inc. Mr. David Barritt-Flatt Director Clark Construction Group, LLC Mr. Barton Bishop Chief Clinical Officer Sport and Spine Rehab Ms. Andrea Custis Sustainability Chair Principal Custis & Associates Ms. Ronya A. Corey Senior Vice President Merrill Lynch Ms. Kelly Dragelin Assistant Treasurer Assistant Chief Accountant Division of Enforcement U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Ms. Terri Fuller Mary Jane Patterson Fellow DC Public Schools

Mr. Steve Goodman Head of Sales Arjuna Solutions

Mr. Jack Reagan Audit Partner Grant Thornton LLP

Mr. Tom Hunt Chief Operating Officer D.C. United

Mr. Stephen Replogle Partner Cove Strategies

Mr. Paul Jackson Principal JCG Incorporated

Mr. Christopher S. Richardson Secretary High School Math Teacher Washington Latin Public Charter School

Mr. Carl S. Kravitz Partner Zuckerman Spaeder LLP Ms. Karen Lovitch Leader, Health Law Practice Mintz Levin Mr. Victor Malera Director, Community Relations D.C. United Mr. Howard L. McMillan, III First Vice President-Investments Wells Fargo Advisors Mr. Wally Okpych IV Director PricewaterhouseCoopers Ms. Jennifer Gennaro Oxley Executive Director Fullbright Association

Mr. Bruce D. Schulman Treasurer Managing Director NGP Energy Technology Partners Mr. Dontai Smalls Vice President, Global Public Affairs UPS Mr. Pierre Vigilance Visiting Professor for Public Health Practice/Health Services Principal GW/Public Health Ventures Group, LLC

Jake Lloyd Communications Manager Greta Poku-Adjei Operations Coordinator Emily Shinogle Soccer Coordinator Mira Smith Writing Coordinator Jessica Trevelyan Grants Manager Keith Tucker Soccer Specialist Libby Watkins Director of Monitoring & Evaluation Travis Worra Soccer Coordinator

Phone: 202.393.6999 Email: firstinitiallastname @americascores.org Fax: 202.393.0655 Read staff bios and view our Board of Directors list at www.DCSCORES.org (About Us section)

DC SCORES organizational highlights

DC SCORES now serves record 50 sites!

DC SCORES Cup features 32 companies, more than 500 participants

On a perfect morning in late June, over 500 DCbased professionals came to the Maryland SoccerPlex for the area’s largest, most long-running event — the DC SCORES Cup. What followed was an action-packed day featuring 86 soccer games, unlimited teambuilding, and a chance for participants to learn more about the cause. The 13th Annual DC SCORES Cup raised more

than $120,000 for DC SCORES. At the end of the day, SCORES Cup mainstay Marriott International — one of three companies to play in all 13 tournaments — won the Competitive Division and Capital for Children won the Casual Division. But everyone came away from the Cup feeling not just tired from a long day of soccer, but good about supporting DC children and inspired by alumnus Christian who was the star of the mid-tournament presentation. The day wouldn’t have been possible without Sport and Spine Rehab; Whole Foods Market P Street, which donated hundreds of apples, bananas, granola bars and lemonade; DrinkMore Water, which provided 40 jugs of hydration; Geppetto Catering, which supplied the healthy lunch wraps needed to fuel up for the final games; and a group of hardy and dedicated volunteers. Thanks to everyone who helped make the 13th DC SCORES Cup the best yet; Confirm your spot for the 14th edition June 25, 2016, today. Only 13 spots left! DCSCORESCup.org

Staff member Libby Watkins honored as Evaluate for Change Nonprofit Data Fellow In July, Director of Monitoring & Evaluation Libby Watkins was chosen through a competitive process as an Evaluate for Change Millennial Nonprofit Data Fellow. Libby is passionate about using data to better understand and respond to the needs of DC children, and as a Fellow is building upon her experience and learning from other fellows in the field. At DC SCORES, Libby uses data to ensure high-quality programming across Washington, DC, as well as support for our 200 soccer and writing coaches. Libby earned her B.A. in Politics from Whitman College (WA), where she also played four years of varsity soccer. See all our awards at DCSCORES.org.

DC SCORES Student Work Courage Courage is opportunity, take it Courage is beautiful, appreciate it Courage is daring, face it Courage is like a soccer game, play it

Fall Program Calendar •

October 24: 18th Annual Fall Frenzy

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November 24: Capital Cup middle school championship games

•

December 2: 18th Annual Poetry Slam!, Westside

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December 3: 18th Annual Poetry Slam!, Eastside

•

December 4: Fall season last day of programming

Fall 2015 Program Sites Ward 1 (year programming began) Bancroft Elementary School (1999) Cardozo Education Campus (2010)* Cesar Chavez Public Charter Middle School for Public Policy – Chavez Prep (2012)* Lincoln Middle School (2007)

LaSalle-Backus Education Campus (2014) Powell Elementary School (2012)* Raymond Education Campus — Elementary (2007)* Raymond Education Campus — Middle (2014)*

Ward 7 Aiton Elementary School (1999) Anne Beers Elementary School (1994) Burrville Elementary School (2000) J.C. Nalle Elementary School (2012)* Kelly Miller Middle School (2004) KIPP DC: KEY Academy (2013)* KIPP DC: Promise Academy (2015)

Truesdell Education Campus — Middle (2014)

Thomas Elementary School (2014)

Ward 5

Ward 8

Imagine Hope Community Charter School — Tolson Campus (2013)

Barry Farm Recreation Center (2015)

Taft Recreation Center (2015)

Leckie Elementary School (2013)*

Tubman Elementary School (2001)

Turkey Thicket Recreation Center — Elementary (2015)

Moten Elementary School (2011)

Ward 2

Turkey Thicket Recreation Center — Middle (2015)

Washington School for Girls (2015)

Harrison Recreation Center — Middle (2015) H.D. Cooke Elementary School (2005) Marie Reed Elementary School (1994)

Courage is a battle, confront it

Parkview Recreation Center — Middle (2015)

Group Poem Aiton Elementary School

Capital City Public Charter School — Middle (2012)*

Payne Elementary School (2015)

KIPP DC: QUEST Academy (2014)*

Courage is trouble, overcome it

We have no fear!!! We are fearless

Capital City Public Charter School — Elementary (2012)*

Truesdell Education Campus — Elementary (2000)

Harrison Recreation Center — Elementary (2015)

Park View Recreation Center — Elementary (2015)

Courage is risky, stand up to it

Brightwood Education Campus — Middle (2014)

KIPP DC: WILL Academy (2012)* Seaton Elementary School (2012)*

Ward 6

Thomson Elementary School (2007)

Amidon Elementary School (2015)

Ward 4

Jefferson Middle School (2012)*

Barnard Elementary School (2013)*

J.O. Wilson Elementary School (2015)

Brightwood Education Campus — Elementary (2002)

Miner Elementary School (2013)*

Eliot-Hine Middle School (2014)

Hart Middle School (2012)

Orr Elementary School (2012)*

*Denotes schools that participate in programming through a Soccer for Success Social Innovation Fund (SIF) Sub-Grant awarded by the U.S. Soccer Foundation to DC SCORES in partnership with the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) and KIPP DC.

Summer SCORES: New experiences, new friends His cleats were tied, shin guards strapped, and socks pulled high. His eager yet serious smile portrayed George T.’s simultaneous enthusiasm and nervousness. Fortunately, just a few steps into the room at Marie Reed Elementary School, George’s anxiety eased. The sight of board games and fellow DC SCORES summer camp participants talking and playing opened his eyes to the exciting five weeks of art and soccer ahead of him. Five weeks of learning new skills, visiting new places, and making many friends. That, in a nutshell, was the impact for more than 185 kids at DC SCORES’ three summer enrichment camps — Kelly Miller soccer camp; Marie Reed soccer & arts camp; and Tubman soccer camp. The camps, as always, were open and free to any child in DC, even if they didn’t participate in fall or spring programming. The camps tackled the challenge of summer learning loss and weight gain by low-income kids through fun physical fitness and mind-engaging programming. Kids learned many new soccer skills but also were exposed to new activities through the arts component of the Reed camp, such as T-shirt screen painting. They

Photos by Steve Christensen

went on field trips to the African American History Museum thanks to our longtime partner Clark Construction, and many kids learned how to swim through weekly trips to the neighborhood pool. The camps would not have been possible without funding from the DC Trust, Michael Lainoff and Kathryn Kincaid, Gannett Foundation, Washington DC Cresa — which also visited Reed and held a barbecue and ice cream social — and other generous supporters, as well as the dozens of volunteers who worked as counselors. Additionally, nine DC SCORES alumni now in high school or college worked as Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) counselors at Reed, providing valuable, trusting mentors for kids like George. Many of the alumni attended the camps at one time themselves, so were able to speak of their experiences to the campers. At the conclusion of the camps, participants left confident in their soccer skills, with new experiences and interests, and with new friends — and many earned patches, too, for the leadership, teamwork and commitment they demonstrated during the summer, learned traits that transitioned seamlessly into the fall. “It’s fun, I get to meet new people,” said four-year Summer SCORES participant Vicky R. “DC SCORES is very welcoming. They’re like a family and they care about everybody.”

Three alumnae are first from family to attend college When everything was falling apart for Ingrid Melendez, she turned to her escape — soccer — and her DC SCORES soccer coach, Asa Davis. Now having overcome a senior year of high school filled with AP classes and no computer at home, a nightime job on the opposite side of the city from home that she had to publicly transport to and from each day, and, on top of all that, the sudden and tragic loss of her uncle, Ingrid is the first member of her family in college at Trinity Washington University. “Here is the moment,” Ingrid said while working as an SYEP counselor at summer camp last July (see p. 4), a smile plastered on her face. “All of them sleepless nights and everything that’s happened to me throughout these four years. “Here it is -- I’m going to college.” “It was overwhelming, but I got it done,” she added. “Soccer got me focused. It was my distraction from everything around me. When I was having a bad day, I was looking forward to passing or touching a ball.”

Nijah Armstrong was in DC SCORES only a year, but the program’s impact affects her today. It’s taken her to Greensboro, N.C., where Nijah has done everything she possibly can as a student at North Carolina A&T State at the expense of rest. “I catch sleep when I can,” said Nijah over the phone one summer afternoon. Nijah spends the majority of each 24 hours during the school year studying (as a double major in forensic science and psychology), leading (as the president of a business club), playing sports (on travel flag football and basketball teams), working (the night shift at the gym), taking care of her 4-yearold son Mekhi, and participating in other extracurricular

activities. She began developing such a work ethic and drive as a poet-athlete at Burrville Elementary, pushed tirelessly to succeed by the Eagles’ longtime coaches Daryl Forte and Chiara Lee (now Chiara Forte). “They taught me never to quit even if it’s tough — life in general and in sports,” Nijah said. Throughout middle and high school, Nijah had the ear of Forte and Lee. When she saw peers drop out of school or not bother with college applications, she had her former coaches’ unyielding support and tough love in helping her stay on the right track. So really, it’s no surprise that Nijah described DC SCORES -- despite her short time in the program — as “like a bond. It’s bigger than sports. It’s everything — the people you meet.” When Claudia Umaña heard that her nonprofit employer, Women’s Policy, Inc., would be co-hosting a briefing on how sports can improve girls’ health and partnering with the U.S. Soccer Foundation, her interest was immediately piqued. Claudia loves soccer. So she was there on June 16, when DC SCORES participant Nohemy talked about how much being active and playing for her school meant. The briefing brought back a flood of memories for Claudia, who participated in DC SCORES for four years in the mid-2000s at Bancroft Elementary School. DC SCORES helped pave the road for not only Claudia’s successful education, but also her brother José’s. Together, they’ll be the first from their family to graduate not just from college — but high school, too. With a single mother working multiple jobs, Claudia was tasked with taking care of José before she even turned 10. Thankfully, she could steer him to DC SCORES’ safe, structured environment that had become a second home for her. “I do remember feeling like a huge weight was off my shoulders,” Claudia recalled recently. Given the freedom to focus mostly on herself and her teams, Claudia excelled and won three D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association (DCIAA) championships as a star defender at Wilson High School. And José now is in his senior year at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.