YOUTHS GET SOLE INSPIRATION; SOCCER CLUB STRIVES TO PROVIDE SAFE HAVEN FOR SPORTS, FELLOWSHIP.Byline: Matthew Matthew one of the twelve disciples. [N.T.: Matthew] See : Evangelism Kredell Daily News Staff Writer Everybody talks about getting kids off the streets, but Genaro Cortez Cortez alluded to in a poem by Keats, mistaken for Balboa, as discoverer of Pacific Ocean. [Br. Poetry: “On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer”] See : Error is doing something about it. Cortez, a 48-year-old Canoga Park resident, founded the International Soccer Club four years ago to give children and teens a safe environment to play a sport and build camaraderie ca·ma·ra·der·ie n. Goodwill and lighthearted rapport between or among friends; comradeship. [French, from camarade, comrade, from Old French, roommate; see comrade. . With six children of his own, Cortez knew the importance of keeping kids off the streets. ``Like many fathers, I would bring my kids to the park and teach them sports,'' Cortez said, with one of his sons translating. ``I noticed other children that were playing who had to share the park with kids involved in drugs and gangs and I wanted to give them a better option.'' The International Soccer Club, so titled because it accepts youngsters of all ethnicities, is now 450 children strong. The boys and girls boys and girls mercurialisannua. range in age from 5 to 16 years old and are broken up into teams based on their ages. Most of the kids in the year-round club are under 12 and know little about competitive soccer when starting out. But after learning from Cortez and his group of volunteer parent-coaches, some have gone on to larger soccer clubs and high school soccer. The kids appreciate Cortez's efforts to keep them off the streets but, more than anything, they just want to play soccer. ``My friend asked me if I wanted to join a soccer team and I did,'' said Eric ERIC Educational Research Information Clearinghouse ERIC Educational Resources Information Center ERIC ERISA Industry Committee ERIC Epidemiologic Research and Information Center (Durham, NC) Lopez Lo·pez , Nancy Born 1957. American golfer who in 1987 achieved her 35th career victory and was inducted into the Ladies Professional Golf Association Hall of Fame. , a 12-year-old student at Columbus Columbus. 1 City (1990 pop. 178,681), seat of Muscogee co., W Ga., at the head of navigation on the Chattahoochee River; settled and inc. 1828 on the site of a Creek village. Middle School. ``The club has good goalies and good coaches and it's a lot of fun.'' Rick Vanegas, a 10-year-old in his third year with the program, agrees. ``I love to play soccer and have fun and compete against friends,'' said Vanegas. ``The International Soccer Club gives me a safe place to do this.'' Nobody appreciates that safety more than the parents. Herminia Bejines put her 11-year-old son Freddie into the club after one of his friends told her about it. ``It's great to know my son is in a safe place,'' she said. ``Not many people would do what Mr. Cortez is doing. He's doing a great job for kids and not too many people help him. I hope somebody helps him to help more kids.'' The International Soccer Club has received a good amount of press, being featured on the CBS News CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. Its current president is Sean McManus who is also head of CBS Sports. Current productions Current television shows
But Cortez hasn't been able to get any contributions from businesses, forcing him to charge $35 a year per child, even though the club is a non-profit organization A non-profit organization (abbreviated "NPO", also "non-profit" or "not-for-profit") is a legally constituted organization whose primary objective is to support or to actively engage in activities of public or private interest without any commercial or monetary profit purposes. , to pay for equipment, trophies and insurance. More than anything, Cortez would like to get enough contributions to provide the club's services free of charge. ``The goal of the club is to enable under-privileged children - the most likely to be influenced by gangs - to participate in a sport that will also keep them in top physical condition,'' Cortez said. ``If I could eliminate the fees, I could help even more children.'' Cortez said the International Soccer Club can handle about 700 kids total. Enrollment is best in January, when the club starts back up after the holidays, but new kids are accepted year-round. Practices are held twice a week and games are played Sundays. To help the International Soccer Club, contact Genaro Cortez at (818) 885-7678. |
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