On November 3rd, volunteers from Storck USA, a candy company that makes favorites such as Werther’s and Mambas, took time out of their busy schedules to be soccer coaches for the day at the Chicago Indoor Sports complex. With boxes of special edition Storck-UI shirts ready to be distributed, Storck volunteers awaited the arrival of soccer players from Otis Elementary and Tarkington School.
As our players arrived they were outfitted with their special t-shirts and ushered onto the soccer field for the fun to begin. As soccer balls rolled around the indoor center, Storck volunteers joined our players on the field. Some served as referees, some as coaches and others just jumped right into the games and played alongside our players! It was a great to see so many adult volunteers taking time out of their day to convey the importance of being physically active to our youth.
Once the action on the soccer field started to wind down, the generous volunteers from Storck had yet another surprise for the Urban Initiatives soccer players: healthy Mexican food! Storck was gracious enough to provide players and their families with a healthy and delicious spread of tacos and chili. Rather than serving beef for the taco filling, delicious ground turkey was used as a healthy substitute. Fresh fruit and crisp vegetables accompanied the rest of the meal. The players and especially parents all enjoyed the healthy food and learned that they could incorporate the same ingredients each night as they cook dinner for their families.
A great time was had by all at this Storck-sponsored event. Some soccer and healthy eating sure go a long way for many of these players and they showed their appreciation by, as a Storck volunteer put it, “Being very well behaved and attentive throughout the afternoon." Thank you to Storck for your continued generosity!