Hooray for soccer!

We are now officially in our 6th season of the South Franklin Soccer League! Our first set of games was last Saturday (August 20). Games were going on at The Boulders and Franklin Elementary in Provo from 9am-1pm.

After two scrimmage days for youth to come sign up we currently have 109 kids playing in the program. There is still space to register but time is running out. Last day to register is August 27th. You can register by going to Centro Hispano (817 South 200 West Provo) or United Way (148 North 100 West Provo) and asking for a form. Any children from ages 5-18 can sign up and remember it's free!

Every weekend we look forward to a successful game day. Come join us and see what all the fun is about!

If you have any soccer experience, we are looking for referees to help during games on Saturdays. Please contact us if you're interested.

Teen Adventures

Becca, an AmeriCorps member with United Way of Utah County, has spent almost 300 hours at South Franklin Community Center this summer running Open Hours, refereeing soccer games, and putting together activities for the neighborhood youth. She wanted to share a few thoughts and memories from her interactions with the teenagers.

I have a blast when the teens come to soccer, girls’ night or whatever activity we may be doing at the time.  Although we’ve only had a few teens show up to soccer, it’s to still fun to play Meta el Gol and just get to know each other better.  Girls’ night was really fun!  I brought my fingernail polish that changes color in the sun and we had a blast watching it work.  

 

At the Bonfire Night we had tons of fun, but it wasn’t the fun I was expecting:  We drove up to South Fork Park just to find out that no open fires were allowed, so we played games the whole night!  We played Dynamite, which is played with a Nerf football, practically the whole time! After awhile another group cleared the field to play Ultimate Frisbee and they told us we could play with them if we wanted to.  We decided to go with it!  Those people were a blast to play with!  Then when it started to get dark we played some soccer with another group of people.  I’d say we made the best night we could without a bonfire.  

I have fun hanging out with the teens and so do the other AmeriCorps volunteers like Lindsey and Dallin.  I hope the teens have had as much fun as I have, and more.  I wish them the best in their life goals and I know they can reach them.

Thank you NuSkin

 Several NuSkin employees came to the South Franklin Community Center to help with a painting service project. They were hard at work cleaning off the surface of storage sheds on 650 West in the Boulders. They also primed all eight sheds, and were able to add color to two of the sheds, all within two hours. All of the employees came ready to work and willing to participate in something special going on in their community.

The sheds are being painted as part of a teen program beginning this summer. One of the activities being held is a mural drawing. Teenagers from the area will be submitting designs to be approved of, the youth will then have the opportunity to paint it themselves onto one of the sheds that have been primed and painted with a basic background color. This project will be going on all summer long and we are very excited to see the final product. 

If you happen to be in the neighborhood go ahead and take a look at the progress. If you know of any teens who live in the Franklin South neighborhood please invite them to submit a drawing. 

Thank you to all the NuSkin employees for getting us started with this project!

Team Work

I know the weather has been pretty lousy lately, but we at South Franklin know the antidote to be able to keep our spirits high. We focus on team building activities, especially during soccer on Saturdays. Whether stretching together...  

 giving a pep talk...

 or cheering each other on...

we never let the weather discourage us. If you would like to be apart of this wonderful antidote for bad weather, join us this Saturday from 9am to 1pm at the Boulders or Franklin Elementary fields. Don't forget the next 2 Saturdays are team pictures for picture day! So come looking your best for the camera.

Registration is now closed but remember to come back for fall season, starting August. We also have great things coming up like Summer Camp. We'll split the kids into 3 different age groups so they can enjoy appropriate age related activities. Please contact us if you're interested in volunteering, participating, or have questions, concerns, or suggestions. 801-691-5338 or southfranklin@unitedwayuc.org

Cancelled soccer games

Due to the sporadic weather, we had to cancel last Saturday's soccer games, but don't worry we won't miss a beat. We are continuing this Saturday by playing those games we missed. We will keep registration open another week and the season tournament will now be June 4th. We hope to see you guys out there to support your team. This Saturday looks like great, warm weather and the kids are anxious to play some games. If you have any questions you can call 801-691-5338 or email southfranklin@unitedwayuc.org.

We are still looking for refs to help out this season. You can sign up for games using the link on the right.

First Game of the Season

GOAL!!

We had such a great turn out for our games last Saturday! There were kids having fun, parents registering their children, coaches smiling, and others cheering for their teams. Our next games are this Saturday the 23rd at Boulders and Franklin Elementary.

The little kids are so fun to watch! 

Our 2 older age groups play at the Franklin field where they can have  more room to stretch.

We are also going to be hosting an Easter egg hunt for the kids ages 5-7 at 12pm at the Boulders playground. It's going to be so fun and cute! We will have pictures posted from that next week, but come and experience it yourself this Saturday. If you have little kids at home bring them too because I'm sure they would love another Easter egg hunt.

Piano and Violin Recital

Yesterday was our second musical recital at the Community Center and it was a complete success! Everyone who attended felt the overwhelming appreciation for our donors, especially Dani, who was in the audience and donated the three violins we currently use. The students did an amazing job despite the pressure to perform. We want to thank our donors, teachers, and students for sharing their gifts and making this a fun event for everyone. 

Starla performed her solo beautifully, and then was joined by her teacher Angela in a duet. 

Pablito, who is only 3 years old, played "Mary had a little lamb". Then his mother, Ericka played " Twinkle, twinkle little star". Both did an amazing job along side their teacher Devin.

Karen and Barbara ended the night with a duet of "Twinkle, twinkle little star" on the violin. 

Dani and her kids came out to watch the recital.

We hope you'll join us at the next recital, whether you are a student, a teacher, or an audience member!

Game Day

Though the weather is still flirting with winter, spring is in the air and soccer season is here. Mark your calendars because the South Franklin Community Center’s Soccer League has its first game day on April 9th. Run completely by community volunteers and donations, the program is a part of United Way of Utah County’s focus on education and helping children succeed in school and beyond. The South Franklin Community Center is in its 5th season of providing a free soccer league to families in Utah County. On April 9th, eight games are scheduled and soccer players, ages 5-18, are eager to start the season off with a win. Don’t miss out; grab a blanket, a poster, your favorite fold out chair and your best friend. See you on the sidelines!

POSTER IDEAS:   GOAL!! -GO, FIGHT, WIN!- Nice Shot- Beckham’s got nothing on YOU!

The soccer league is still in need of volunteers, specifically referees. If you are interested in volunteering, visit http://bit.ly/ehcNB2 .

When: April 9, 2011

Where: Boulder Apartment Field & Franklin Elementary Field

Time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

By: Allyse Robertson from United Way of Utah County

Be a Philanthropist Grant to Fund Summer Activities for Teens

Hello, friends of South Franklin!

It's a very busy time of year for us at the South Franklin Community Center. This Saturday, March 26 from 9-12 we will be kicking off our spring soccer season with scrimmages, sign-ups and an opportunity to meet the coaches. We are very thankful to all our volunteer coaches and referees who have committed to spending time with South Franklin's families over the next couple months. Thank you, thank you!

If you are not currently signed up to participate in soccer and you would like to help, we would love for you to be a referee. Sign up using the link to the right.

In addition to preparing for soccer and holding our regular classes and programs, we are also starting to plan our summer activities. It may seem a little early to be thinking about summer (although the more it rains, the more I think about it!), but a lot goes into planning the summer camps for the kids. If you have volunteered at South Franklin, you know what wonderful kids we have in the neighborhood, and you know that they are definitely worth the effort.

In past years we have focused on creating fun, high-quality learning experiences for the children, such as museum trips, fire department and police visits, cultural awareness days with groups like BYU's Living Legends dance group, nutrition days, music days, and more. We hope to build on the current program by dividing the children into two age groups to better serve their skills and interests. But we are also very excited to focus on the teenagers this coming summer. We are pleased to announce a new teen activities campaign!

This effort has no name. It is not a camp or a program. We simply want to focus more on the wonderful youth ages 13-18 who live in the South Franklin neighborhood. They are good young men and women who work hard in school, care for their siblings, support their parents, and have dreams. More details will be forthcoming, but we hope to hold regular sports activities, break dancing classes, age-appropriate music events, and more. This wish of ours will be funded by a generous grant from Be a Philanthropist.

Be a Philanthropist is a grassroots philanthropy organization funded by students of Brigham Young University. The group focuses on high impact efforts. We are grateful to Be a Philanthropist for recognizing the significance of working with the youth of South Franklin. If you want to learn more about them, their website can be found here.

Thanks to Be a Philanthropist, our soccer volunteers, our sponsors, and all our other volunteers. You really are making a difference!