UPCOMING VOLUNTEER EVENTS

April 24, 2010:
Fundraising Festival to support
the Children's Day School
10am - 2pm

Spring 2010:
1 day soccer clinic to benefit the
Children's Day School

Community Service

We at the Next Level Soccer Academy feel that Community Service is an integral part of who we are as a club. Each soccer season, the boys and girls, women and men, of our Family participate in various community service initiatives.

Instrumental in making this program a success are the members of our Community Service Committee: Karen Hawkey (U18 Force), Colleen Woods (U17 Thunder), Debbie Osgood (U16 United), Rana Messler, Mark & Angela Setaro (U16 Legends), Donna Immordino (U15 Shamrocks) and Kathy Mathews (U14 Warriors).

Over the years, our players, friends and families have participated in (or will be participating in) several endeavors, including a New Jersey Special Olympics bowling event, a food drive for the Crisis Ministries of Trenton, and the New Jersey Special Olympics Summer Olympics.

Most recently, the players and families of NLSA came together to host a Car Wash and Festival to benefit the Children's Day School in Ewing, NJ. The school is operated by the Family Guidance Center/Family & Children's Services and all proceeds were earmarked to help the school replace its aging playground equipment. Through the hard work of all involved, NLSA was able to present a check to the Board of Directors of the Family Guidance Center in the amount of $1,227.50!!

Many of the players within our Academy have also generously donated their time to instruct and assist at youth soccer clinics within our community, helping the children to further develop their skills while fostering a love for this beautiful game.

This past winter, NLSA Shamrocks Ben Immordino, Bailey Hammer and Jared Palker selflessly participated in a Box City to raise awareness and funds for the Red Cross Homeless Shelter. This follows on last year's participation by Shamrocks Ben Immordino, Brendan Cooper and Jared Palker. Members of the NLSA Family will, once again, be participating in the Box City project. Click here for more information and to download the necessary paperwork.

NLSA's U16-United were also the subject of a feature story in the December 10, 2009 edition of the Hopewell Valley News. Click here to view the article.

The U17 Thunder's Cary Funkhouser was also recently honored by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) as the recipient of their USTA Middle States New Jersey Junior Volunteer of the Year for 2009.

NLSA Rangers Alec Fyfe, Andrew Gordon, Chazzy Bell & Chris Santos, assisted the NJ Special Olympics at their bowling event on March 28, 2009. Thanks also go out to NLSA friends, Billy Franz and Tim Sutton, who also generously volunteered their time to this important cause.

On May 15, 2009, NLSA United members Tyler Burns, Obie Osgood-Otis, Brendan Cooper, Ryan Lago, Jeff Podeszwa, Tyler Jones, Tom Hageman, Ryan Murphy, Scott Nicholson, Steven Hawkey, Jack Parker, Own Toland & Kristian Plummer collected food donations outside the Pennington Quality Market and were able to provide the Crisis Ministry of Trenton with 50 bags of groceries valued at more than $1,100!! Thanks also to the United parents who supervised this event and to Debbie Osgood for organizing.

Over the 2009 Memorial Day Weekend, numerous players and parents from the Thunder & Rangers donated their time and labor to assist with various tasks at the Hopewell Valley Soccer Associations's annual tournament. Thanks to all who gave of themselves to help make that tournament a success.