In the first season with Roger Levesque as its Director of Community Outreach, Sounders FC has made an immense impact in the community. Levesque and his staff have even gone beyond the Seattle area, most recently raising funds to rebuild a soccer field in Honduras and running a clinic there for local youth.
Just days after returning from Honduras, Levesque commenced another special project. As part of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Sounders FC launched its 30 in 30 campaign, a commitment to engage with and positively impact children and families battling cancer each day throughout the month of September. Childhood Cancer Awareness Month is the first stage of Soccer Kicks Cancer, an MLS initiative that focuses on raising awareness and fundraising for the fight against cancer.
Sounders FC’s 30 visits in 30 days will be a combined effort from members of the First Team, S2, the front office and even former players.
“In addition to the league-wide initiative, we also want to positively impact the local community,” Levesque said of the 30 in 30 initiative. “That’s always been important from a Sounders FC standpoint. This is a great opportunity not only to support MLS’ initiative and the bigger picture of children’s cancer research, but also to provide inspirational experiences for kids who may be battling cancer or families that may be having a difficult time because of cancer here in Seattle.”
Seattle Children’s Hospital, Ronald McDonald House, Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Austen Everett Foundation are among the many organizations that Sounders FC will be teaming up with in September. Levesque says the campaign will allow his staff to connect with new partners and find more ways to positively impact the community.
“Through our community arm, United in Green, Sounders FC has great partnerships with organizations that use the game as a vehicle for positive change,” Levesque said. “But in addition to youth development and using soccer for good, we’re also looking to focus on broader themes. This is an effort to raise awareness about the impact we all can have in this fight against cancer.”
The first child to benefit from the campaign is Isiah Waiters, a local six-year-old who was recently diagnosed with leukemia. Isiah, who loves sports, got to attend Sounders FC training on Tuesday, where he met the players and even took penalty kicks with captain Brad Evans. He will also be the team’s honorary captain on Saturday and lead the Sounders out onto the pitch for their match against Toronto FC.
Many Sounders FC players have already spent time at places such as Children’s Hospital this year. According to Levesque, the visits have been inspirational.
“The positive energy, the positive influence and impact our players have in these situations is truly amazing,” he said. “I’ve seen kids’ faces light up, not only when you bring out a soccer ball, but also when interacting with players that are as engaging as the ones we have. Our players care about the community, and you can really tell with those interactions. I’m looking forward to seeing that more and more throughout the month of September.”
