Vote for DC SCORES!

DC SCORES, one of the affiliates of America SCORES, has been nominated for "Most Creative Fundraiser" in the Stay Classy Awards! Here is a message from DC SCORES staff member Jake:

Based off our Kick, Click, & SCORES Challenge fundraiser held back in May (which New England, Chicago and Milwaukee also did), DC SCORES was chosen as a Stay Classy Awards top-5 contestant for the Most Creative Fundraiser in the DC area. Thanks to our supporters, we received the most votes. NOW, we're competing against seven other cities for the NATIONAL award for Most Creative Fundraiser. If we receive the most votes through November 5th, we'll get $10,000 for our program and be recognized at the Stay Classy Awards -- purportedly, the Grammys of award shows for nonprofit organizations -- in San Diego November 7th.

Obviously, the competition is mych stiffer now, and we need all the help spreading the word and getting out the vote.

Voting is simple: Just go to the voting page, find DC SCORES, then click submit -- from there, you just enter an e-mail and a password (only for verification purposes -- they won't send you anything) and another vote is counted for us.

Thanks!!

Last season, DC SCORES executive director Amy Nakamoto put together a fundraiser called the Click, Kick, & SCORE Challenge where she juggled a soccer ball from 7am to 7pm on a busy street corner in DC to raise money and awareness. By the end of the challenge, she had raised $50,000.


A belated congratulations to DC SCORES on their innovative, successful fundraiser, and good luck in the Stay Classy Awards!

Welcome New Coaches!

This season America SCORES LA has some exciting new additions to our coaching corps. We are very excited to have these new coaches working with our poet-athletes, and can't wait to see what the teams will learn, both on the field and in the classroom. So without further ado, here are the new faces of America SCORES LA!



Name: Aaron Turner
School: Charnock
Position: Boys and Girls Writing Coach
Favorite Food: Pizza
Hobby: Sports and Music
Interesting Fact: Also works at Charnock as a one-on-one teacher





Name: Alexandra Jaspers
School: Palms
Position: Boys Writing Coach
Favorite Food: Eggplant Parmesan
Hobby: Surfing
Interesting Fact: Nickname is "Ada" because she couldn't say "Alexandra" when she was young

(left: Alexandra, right: Chevana)

Name: Chevana Player
School: Palms
Position: Girls Writing and Soccer Coach
Favorite Food: Peach Cobbler
Hobby: Basketball
Interesting Fact: Has one gray streak of hair



Name: Chrissy Clark
School: Charnock
Position: Check-out
Favorite Food: Pizza and Chinese food
Hobby: Going to the movies
Interesting Fact: She can write with her feet






Name: Julie Palacios
School: Braddock
Position: Boys Writing Coach
Favorite Food: Pizza
Hobby: Drawing
Interesting Fact: She plays basketball, softball, and flag football




Name: Mike Baskerville
School: Palms
Position: Boys Soccer Coach
Favorite Food: Pizza
Hobby: Coaching
Interesting Fact: He is fun and easy going!

Collegiate Athletes Inspire SCORES Students On and Off the Soccer Field

When the UCSD women's soccer team traveled to play rival Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday night, their game did a lot more than just advance their position in the California Collegiate Athletic Association; it inspired a younger generation of soccer players from the non-profit organization America SCORES LA. In the stands there were two girls teams from Charnock Road Elementary watching and lending their support. The third through fifth graders traveled together from their school on a bus and on the way they wrote UCSD on their arms and made up several unique cheers that would be heard by all later in the evening.

After the scoreless first half, the poet-athletes talked about teamwork and learned to trust and rely on each other when they participated in team building challenge games in the stands. When the second half started, the UCSD team showed the girls just what you can accomplish by working together on the field when Sarah McTigue netted a goal off of a cross from Annie Wethe. After Dominguez tied the game with less than 20 minutes to go, the girls knew it would take determination to come back. The players proved their character when Lindsay Mills came off of the bench to score the game winner that sent the SCORES fans into a cheering rage.

The biggest highlight of the night came after the game when the 18 poet-athletes got to go on the field and meet the UCSD players. They were each given a UCSD magnet and a poster to get signed. The Triton athletes went above and beyond when interacting with the girls and telling them about their experience both as an athlete and a student. We want to thank the UCSD women's soccer team and coaches, especially Kristin Jones and captain Lisa Bradley, for organizing this event. All of the UCSD players made a generous donation to the America SCORES LA program to make this night possible and beyond that, they made a strong impression on the girls they met. Some of the reactions on the bus ride home were, "I can't believe they were so nice!" and "I can't wait until I get to go to UCSD!"

Keep an eye out for more pictures on the facebook page

Fall Season is Here!

America SCORES LA programming started yesterday at Palms and Braddock Elementary Schools. Though it poured, the weather didn't keep SCORES poet-athletes from coming to the first day. At Palms Elementary, the students -- a good mix of new and returning -- met in the auditorium where they introduced themselves to the new coaches and to each other and played some games to get to know one another. They played Rock, Paper, Scissors Around the World; Simon Says; and a name game. Later, two middle school girls who were in the program at Palms last year showed up to play with the new generation of poet-athletes.

Starbucks Kicks Off the School Year

School started this past Monday at Charnock, Braddock and Palms Elementary Schools, with LA SCORES programming starting at Charnock. The kids were excited to get back on the soccer field and back into their classes to work on a new portfolio of poems this season.



This year, thanks to donations from Starbucks, every kid in the program will have his/her own journal for the year. Last month, Starbucks District Manager and LA SCORES board member Tisha Kimoto held a drive for journals and other supplies and was able to collect 300 journals for the poet-athletes of LA SCORES.

LA SCORES would like to thank Tisha Kimoto and Starbucks for their donation and all the support they have given us!

America SCORES PSA on Vimeo

The America SCORES Public Service Announcement is now on Vimeo! America SCORES National Board Member and Soccer Hall of Famer John Harkes speaks about the opportunities America SCORES provides for kids across the country.

CLICK HERE to watch the video.

Earn Money for LA SCORES by Grocery Shopping

You may know that America SCORES LA is a part of Ralphs' Community Contribution Program. As part of this program, friends of America SCORES LA can register their Ralphs Rewards cards to America SCORES LA, and Ralphs will donate a percentage of money you spend back to the organization. Once a year, we need to renew the contract and have everyone sign up again, and that time is here! If you shop at Ralphs and want to help out America SCORES LA, follow the directions below to sign up your card!

If You Have Not Registered Your Card:
1. Go to Ralphs.com and sign up your Ralphs Rewards card
2. Check your email and verify your email address
3. Sign in and follow the instructions below


If You Have Already Registered Your Card:
1. Sign in by going to Ralphs.com and clicking the "Sign In" link
2. Scroll down and click on "Community Contribution" under "Services"
3. Scroll down and click the "Enroll" button
4. Make sure your card information is correct (you don't need to answer every question)
5. Under "Find Your Organization" type in "LA SCORES" and hit search
6. Select LA SCORES, then click "Save Changes"
7. Next time you shop at Ralphs, use your Rewards Card and earn money for LA SCORES!