Throughout the month of May, urban Initiatives’ Junior board conducted a bus Campaign. the goal of the campaign was to raise $15,000 to offset urban Initiatives’ massive costs to transport students to and from practices, games, field trips and other events. Urban Initiatives spends thousands of dollars each year on over 200 bus rides for all of its schools and programs. we are proud to announce tHat the junior board excEeded their goal and raiSed $17,714 to fund 100 bUs rIdes for URban initiatives kids! we are incredibly grateful for thE work of our junior board to reach out to their networks to fundraise for our kids! thank you to every person who donateD to tHe campaign!
In the end, Team Jahn, lead by Caitlin and Ashley, was victorious with a grand total of $2,330 raised for their school. “Soccer and the other activities that I was involved in helped shape the person I am today,” Ashley said after her victory, “and it’s really rewarding to be a part of UI and be able to pay it forward.”
Coach Cris from Jahn did his part supporting the Jahn campaign, but gave all the credit to Ashley and Caitlin. “Catie and Ashley are just as committed to the team as the Jahn players are. They both attend practices before work each morning helping Coach Guerra teach the move of the week along with giving their own tips on soccer skills and healthy living.”
In order to reach their goal, Junior Board Members were paired up and each duo was assigned a school for which to raise money. Many Junior Board Members even visited their partner schools to see the kids they’re supporting in action. The teams competed against each other to see who could raise the most. Members got creative and developed strategies for how to best target their networks. Events varied from bar parties, to house parties, to live music performances, to clothing swaps. Other Junior Board members opted to send email solicitations with fun twists.
In the end, six other teams–Bethune, Daley, Goethe, Lloyd, Morton, and Otis–topped $1,000 raised in May. UI is proud to have the best junior board around, and not only are they committed to spending time mentoring and working with the kids that need it most, but they’re also ready to do the hard work of connecting these kids with the resources they need to have life-changing experiences with the Work to Play soccer team. We want to thank the junior board for once again going the extra mile!