Starfinder Foundation

Our United Way Donor Choice Number is 14963.

Program News

Eat Right, Get Fit, Grow Strong!
January 27, 2012

Fitness and nutrition education is essential to the health and learning of children and adolescents. The fitness and nutrition behaviors of young people have a direct impact on their long-term social, emotional, psychological, and intellectual development.  Research indicates that health education as part of an after school program enables young people to develop the knowledge and skills that they need to avoid health risks and enhance both their health and their ongoing social and academic achievement.

Health and nutrition education has always been part of the Starfinder curriculum. We are pleased to announce that grants from the Walmart Foundation and Janssen Biotech will enable us to significantly enhance our Eat Right, Get Fit, Grow Strong health and nutrition program.Starfinder’s Future and Junior Leader participants will be involved in hands-on classroom activities that introduce, develop, and extend knowledge and understanding about proper nutrition, healthy food choices, food science, food preparation, and the relationship between nutrition and health. A key element of this enhanced program is Starfinder’s provision of a nutritious snack to each attendee at each session and the distribution of an environmentally appropriate water container for every participant. Through this program we will provide our participants with the knowledge and skills they need to not only enhance their personal health, but also the health of their families and communities.

As part of this grant Starfinder has purchased 3 treadmills, 2 elliptical trainers, and 2 recumbent bicycles that will be used to supplement our ongoing soccer cardio fitness activities. Additionally, these fitness machines will be available to the parents of our participants so that they can get in some exercise while they are here watching their children participate in the Starfinder program. What a great opportunity for the whole family to learn about the benefits of eating  right, getting fit, and growing strong.

^Top
______________________________________________

Junior and Senior Boys Showcase Their Soccer Skills
January 27, 2012

Starfinder’s participants are no different than the thousands of soccer players throughout the country who have aspirations of playing college soccer.   What is sometimes different is that many of our participants do not get the opportunity to play in front of college coaches.  On Saturday, January 7, 2012, Starfinder held its first ever College Showcase.  Thirty-eight Senior Leaders participated in a series of games to showcase their talents to over fifteen college coaches from the Philadelphia area.  It proved to be an incredible experience for all who attended. 

Rob Nydick, coach at Arcadia University, shared this comment.

“The Starfinder College Showcase was a very beneficial recruiting event for our program. The showcase provided us with an opportunity to identify many players who would be a great addition to our University and soccer program.”  

Starfinder participants were equally excited to get the opportunity to “showcase” their skills for the attending coaches. The team play was competitive and skillful with great spirit evident in every match. Here is what some Starfinder Senior Leaders had to say about the tournament.

“It was an amazing time.  It gave me a chance to actually show colleges what I have and what I have learned over the years of coming to Starfinder, which is how to play soccer and how to be part of a team.  The day wasn’t about winning or losing, it was about having fun.” Michael Arthur

“The play was electric and competitive.  It really brought out the best of me and my teammates.  Having college coaches watching brought out the best in us.  We played our best and put on a show for the coaches.  It was an awesome experience and a lot of fun.” Sallen Woewiyu

“I enjoyed how it gave all of the participants more of an incentive to compete against each other.  The day gave us an opportunity to showcase our skills for college coaches.  Being able to play in front of coaches will give some of us opportunities with college that we may not have previously had.” Sammy Ortiz

^Top
______________________________________________

Senior Leaders Spotlight: Rosy Henao
January 27, 2012

In a city with a high school graduation rate of only 58%, Rosy Henao’s aspirations go far beyond that statistic. Hailing from Philadelphia’s Olney section, where pathways to a positive future are ridden with drugs, crime and other deleterious behaviors, Rosy sets her sights on college. While waiting to receive college acceptance letters, Rosy is focusing her efforts on relieving the financial burden of college by applying for financial aid, grants and other scholarships. She expects to find out in March if her first choice, West Chester University, becomes a reality.

With classmates struggling to finish high school as young mothers and fathers, “education first” resonates as Rosy reflects on her involvement over the years with Starfinder. Working as a Starfinder Summer Intern in 2011 helped her realize the impact she can have on young kids. “I want to major in Business Management so I can create a soccer program (like Starfinder) for kids.” Rosy never saw herself as a role model until she learned that playing games like Duck, Duck, Goose, giving high fives, and demonstrating her soccer ball skills brought smiles to young faces and created a connection with the aspiring soccer players in her neighborhood.

Rosy is blessed to have a great role model in her own home – her Mom! Each morning at 4:30, Rosy’s Mom rises to do household chores and make preparations for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and then heads off to her full time job. Rosy marvels at her Mom’s energy and dedication and is inspired by her parents whose devotion and love encourages her to do the best she can in all her endeavors. 

Rosy enjoys Tyler Perry movies because the content is related to real life situations that are presented through a humorous story with a moral. Always the fashionista, Rosy draws confidence and strength from the maxim, “To be yourself is to be different.” Starfinder is lucky and privileged to be Rosy’s home away from home.

^Top
______________________________________________

Gothia Cup 2012
January 27, 2012

“My experience in Sweden was amazing. This trip is going to be in my memories for a long time. This trip was unforgettable. I really wanted to stay there for at least a month. Thank you SKF and Starfinder.” Edwin 2011

Once again this summer, SKF USA Inc., whose North American headquarters is located in Lansdale, will sponsor a team from Starfinder to participate in the Gothia Cup, the world’s largest youth soccer tournament. The team of seventeen U18 boys and 3 coaches will travel to Gothenburg, Sweden from July 14-22 for games against teams from around the world.

Last summer, a team of U16 Starfinder players had the experience of a lifetime as they competed against teams from England, Guatemala, Norway, and Sweden, met young people from Africa and Asia, and learned a lot about themselves as they enjoyed the culture and history of a foreign country. This summer’s participants, none of whom participated in 2011, will be selected based on their program attendance, engagement with enrichment activities, behavior in all interactions, improvement and performance in soccer activities, and written responses to two essay questions. 

SKF will also sponsor an indoor tournament in March for all Senior Leader boys and once the Gothia Cup team is chosen, a number of outdoor scrimmages will be scheduled in May and June to prepare for the tournament in Sweden. Many thanks once again to SKF USA Inc. for their belief in the Starfinder program and their commitment to provide such a special opportunity.

“Our trip to Sweden was one of the best experiences of my life. We interacted with many kids of our age from all over the world, and I learned that even though they’re from other countries, they’re not that different from us.” Matthew 2011

^Top
______________________________________________

Congratulations Seniors Leaders!
January 27, 2012

The participants in Starfinder’s Senior Leaders program never fail to amaze us.  We are amazed that they travel by car, bus and train (and often a combination!) twice a week to play soccer and participate in enrichment activities that foster individual growth in athletics and academics.  We tend to focus a lot on their academic successes and stress the importance of a quality education, but we often overlook the importance of soccer to them and their successes within the sport. 

We’d like to congratulate the following Senior Leaders who were selected to high school all-star and all-county teams.

Starfinder Seniors Graduate
September 19, 2011

 

Class of 2011!!
On Friday, June 10, 2011, Corporate Partner Shire hosted a celebration for Starfinder’s 18 graduating high school seniors.  On this very special evening Starfinder seniors were joined by their families, friends, Starfinder’s younger participants, Board members, and supporters to applaud their accomplishments. After a delicious dinner and mingling, remarks from Coach Brendan Grady, Senior Leaders Program Director Herb Kandeh, and Diego Gutierrez, Director of Scouting and Player Development for the Philadelphia Union, highlighted the sacrifices and commitment of these wonderful young people. The celebration ended with a video presentation created by Starfinder videographer Amy Rymer that featured comments and action shots of each graduating senior.

It is important for Starfinder to make graduation a special event and for us to highlight the accomplishments of these 18 young men and women because nearly 50% of their peers do not make it to high school graduation. Starfinder is eager to reinforce the commitment and hard work that each graduate has contributed over the years to reach the goal of high school graduation. We also want to celebrate their aspiration to continue their education beyond high school and their dreams to get a college degree and become nurses, business leaders, teachers, and difference makers in their community. Starfinder is happy to announce that 16 of our graduating seniors are well on their way.  These 16 graduates have been accepted to college in the fall while the remaining 2 continue to work on their college application process.  



We wish our graduating seniors the best of luck in college and appreciate the leadership that they brought on a daily basis to the Starfinder program.  We hope that they continue to think of Starfinder as their family and know that we welcome them back at any time with open arms.  Congratulations and best of luck!!!


^Top
______________________________________________

Sizzling Summer Programming: Senior Leaders Shine
September 19, 2011

Not heat, rain, hurricanes nor earthquakes can stifle the six weeks of the Starfinder Summer Program! With sites at Beverly Hills Middle School in Upper Darby, Germantown Boys and Girls Club in Germantown, Ziehler Park in Olney, and Girard College in North Philadelphia, each evening witnessed 100-150 participants enjoying soccer challenges and learning activities that stressed teambuilding, health and nutrition. With programming taking place twice a week for two hours each session, each participant benefitted from 24 hours of contact. Participants at our summer program sites are also participants we see during the winter at our site in Manayunk. With this continuity of contact we believe that over time we will see enhanced growth and development in the outcomes we strive for with each participant. 



A critical element of our summer program is the leadership opportunities created for our Senior Leaders as they participate as paid interns assisting in program delivery at each site. Beginning in January, the Senior Leader Summer Interns start preparing for their roles as instructors and mentors. They develop skills in lesson planning, behavior management, and public speaking as they get ready to be role models for their young charges. Once the program begins, new lessons are learned as the interns face daily challenges and learn about time management, leadership, commitment, and problem solving. Being a positive role model is not easy, but it becomes easier when the Senior Leaders see how young participants look up to them as teachers and friends. The Starfinder Program is strengthened greatly by the bonds that are created between our oldest and youngest participants.  



Here are comments from our Summer Interns about their experiences.



“After just the first week of work I started to wonder how many of the problems I encountered while trying to manage a group of kids on a soccer field would prepare me for the challenges that I will inevitably encounter while in college and after I graduate.”  Theresa

“Sometimes we were forced to think outside the box when the current activity wasn’t working. It sometimes works other times it turned out pretty bad.”  Sammy

“I liked the feeling of being looked up to or when I missed one day at camp for a football scrimmage, I like that the girls missed me. That feeling of being wanted makes me want to keep coaching. It’s nice to know that someone looked up to you.“ Nury

“But all in all I thank Starfinder for the job this year because it gave me a sense of achievement and responsibility. I felt like an adult, and I’m looking forward to having this opportunity next year.”  Michael

“Through the course of the program I’ve learned that trying to teach a lesson to a group of kids is not the easiest thing in the world and you always have to have a plan B for EVERYTHING. After knowing what it feels like to be interrupted a million times, I’ve grown a new respect for my teachers so my new school year resolution is to pay attention and keep my mouth shut as much as possible.”  Imani

^Top
______________________________________________

Sweden Is Sweet!
September 19, 2011

A lot of high level math is required for this computation, but the answer is fairly simple. When you add up 7,712 miles, 35,200 participants, 71 countries, 110 soccer fields and games with teams from Sweden, Norway, England and Guatemala, you can only get one answer:  the experience of a lifetime!!!!

Made possible by generous support from Starfinder’s Corporate Partner, SKF USA Inc., a group of seventeen U16 Senior Leaders was fortunate to be a part of this experience during the 2011 Gothia Cup in Gothenburg, Sweden.  Placed in a tough group that saw the group winner make it all the way to the final against Brazil, Starfinder ended with a 1 win/3 loss record that was not indicative of the way they played. Each match saw improvement in team and individual play, and the boys learned a lot about what it takes to put together a team and not just compete, but get a result.

Off the field, the always ebullient and outgoing Starfinder representatives made new international friends with ease and were very popular holding sway and dominating on the futsal court in the courtyard of the school where they were housed. In addition to playing and watching games, the team also found time to travel to the Goteborg Archipelago, the Universeum, the nearby amusement park, and the evening discotheque.

Here is what the boys had to say about their trip:

“Going on this trip taught me many important things, and it has been a very positive experience for me. I learned to be responsible. Most of the time everyone had choices but it was up to each of us to be responsible and make the right choice.”  Elisua

“This trip also helped me build friendships with new people. It encourages youth to chase and never give up on their dreams. It taught us about the way other people from other countries live their life and their culture. Most important it helped me to always be friendly and give respect to all people.”  Emmanuel

“I would like to thank everyone who made this trip possible. Nick, Steve and Eddie are the greatest coaches and role models. They were amazing at keeping us in line, and we could not ask for anything more from them. Any adults who could live so closely with seventeen boys for an entire week and remain calm, cool and positive deserve a lot of credit and recognition!” Tim

“Before we knew it, our Swedish adventure was over, and we were on our way home.  Although we were sad to leave, we missed our families back home.  However, we did not leave empty handed.  We brought back with us great memories and stories that will last a lifetime.” Matt

Check out the news coverage before and after the trip. The team even showed up onscreen in Times Square, NYC!

^Top
______________________________________________

Doc Cousounis Award Recipients Announced!
September 19, 2011

Congratulations to Erick Cerrada and Imani Richburg, this summer’s recipients of our Doc Cousounis Award.

This award honors Starfinder participants who exemplify the ideals that Doc Cousounis promoted throughout his life. Erick and Imani, through their work as 2011 Summer Interns, demonstrated a commitment to developing soccer through community service and consistently displayed Starfinder’s core values of respect, teamwork, persistence, pride, integrity, and caring.

^Top
______________________________________________

Soccer Girls Rule – Year One Report

September 19, 2011

Soccer Girls Rule, Starfinder’s middle school girls program at Cooke Elementary and Hostos Charter Middle School, completed a very successful first year and will begin fall programming in late September. Year One activities culminated on June 23rd with a scavenger hunt around the city.  With assistance from Senior Leader girls and instructors, SGR girls were divided into three groups then challenged to scour the city from the Art Museum to Old City to locate the answers to clues about historic Philadelphia. Each group documented its “finds” using a Flip video camera. The group then returned to Starfinder for lunch, followed by a variety of challenging mental and physical activities and friendly competitive events (such as a water balloon toss). Prizes were given out for the scavenger hunt and the other games.  As hoped for, it was a fun and very physically active day.



The Year One evaluation was completed recently and we are happy to report that findings indicate positive results for the desired outcomes of the program activities.  Some findings include:

- although statistical significance was not reached, trends of improvement were documented in measures of self-esteem, self-image and athletic image, and

- the program positively affected participants’ body centered issues, problem solving and leadership skills.

One 5th grade participant commented during a group interview “I used to think I was fat, but now I feel average. I feel stronger.” Also, when asked if  “seeing older girls and women play sports makes it easier for me to play sports,” there was a significant increase in the number of positive responses after participation in the Soccer Girls Rule program.

We are heartened to know that being physically active produces more than sweat! Thanks to these and other valuable formative evaluation findings, we will continue to hone the program for Year Two.  



Stay tuned for more news from Soccer Girls Rule. Be One!

^Top
______________________________________________


Summer Programs Get Underway on June 27, 2011
May 16, 2011

Starfinder will run summer programs for children ages 6-12 at four sites in the Philadelphia area. All programs begin the week of June 27, 2011 and run through the week ending August 12, 2011. Please note: there will be no programs the week of July 18-22. Each site will operate twice a week from 6 to 8 PM.  The days at each site are as follows:

Girard College - Mondays and Wednesdays
Edison High School - Mondays and Wednesdays
Beverly Hills Middle School - Tuesdays and Thursdays
Germantown Boys and Girls Club - Tuesdays and Thursdays

The twice-weekly sessions will include soccer skills training, game competition, teambuilding, and nutrition activities. Each participant will get an opportunity to take a leadership role as a “captain” in one of the many team play situations. The summer program sites were selected to serve the communities where Starfinder has existing relationships with soccer clubs, schools, and winter participants. Thus more students have the opportunity to participate year-round.

A unique feature of the summer program is the participation of our Senior Leaders as paid interns. At each program site 6-8 Senior Leader interns will play a large role in implementing and managing the summer activities. The interns will not only grow and learn from this experience, but also serve as important role models for the participants.

^Top
______________________________________________

Partnership Grows with Germantown Soccer Club
May 16, 2011

Among our participants back in the 2009-10 winter season were 10 bright-eyed Future Leaders brought to Starfinder by Nigerian native and soccer enthusiast, Yomi Awodesu. Yomi and his eager young charges live in close by Germantown and as the season went on more and more participants from Germantown joined Yomi’s group. With neighborhood soccer interest growing, Yomi began conversations with other interested parents in the community about the possibility of organizing a more formal soccer association.

In the summer of 2010, Starfinder collaborated with Yomi and his neighbors to deliver a weekly program at Daniel Rumph II Recreation Center at Morton & Johnson Sts. in the E. Mt. Airy/Germantown section of Philadelphia. For six weeks, between 75 and 100 mostly young soccer newbies enjoyed soccer skills training, small-sided games, team building exercises, and health and nutrition activities. Working together with parent volunteers and our own Senior Leaders, the summer was a huge success.

Moving into the fall, the Germantown Soccer Club was officially formed and began an intramural league and one travel team for these emerging soccer talents. After a successful fall season, between 30-35 Germantown Soccer Club participants made Starfinder their home every Monday and Thursday evening throughout the 2010-11 winter season. With local field space at a premium for the current spring season, every Monday evening from 6-8 PM, Starfinder is now hosting between 65 and 80 Germantown Soccer Club participants here in Manayunk. In a little over one year, what started as a small group of 10 players has now grown to an enthusiastic group of 75. Congratulations to Yomi and all those supporters who have worked diligently to provide this great experience for the kids.

Starfinder cherishes this kind of collaboration and believes that helping inner city soccer clubs build the capacity for sustainability and growth is instrumental in helping us achieve our mission.

^Top

_________________________________________________

School Programming
May 16, 2011

Starfinder just wrapped up a ten-week session at Laura Carnell Elementary School in North Philadelphia called SPELLS: Soccer Propels English Language Learners. In order to participate in the twice-weekly program, ELL students had to spend an additional 60 minutes working on skills specifically focused to improve PSSA scores. Soccer is a significant draw for these students, since for most it is the national sport of their country of origin. During our two-year partnership, the ELLs in the program have achieved Annual Yearly Progress and over 96% of the ELLs have demonstrated growth on the ACCESS for ELL exam, outperforming their peers who did not participate in the program. We seek to grow this program to a larger cohort of schools in PSD.

An eight-week program is now in progress at Dunbar Elementary, Clemente Middle School, and Ethel Allen Elementary, all of which are Promise Academies in the Philadelphia School District. This program is part of the Middle School Intramural Sports Initiative. During this twice-weekly after school program, one session each week is devoted to soccer skill training and team building activities and and the other to small-sided scrimmage games with leadership opportunities for each participant. Depending upon school district budget decisions, this pilot will be extended to additional schools in the fall. Meanwhile, Starfinder continues to partner with the Philadelphia Union to provide after school programming in the Chester School District. This spring Stetser Elementary is the site of the activities. We encourage our Philadelphia area participants to take the next step and join our summer programming in their neighborhood and our winter programming in Manayunk.

^Top
________________________________________________

Mosaic Mural is Magical!!!
May 16, 2011

Starfinder’s unique soccer and art project is making great progress. Facilitated by noted mosaic artist and educator, Baily Cypress, every participant in our winter program connected with their inner artist through participation in this project. Whether creating designs for World Cup soccer team crests, cutting and affixing tile pieces, grouting or polishing, everyone has made a contribution to the mural’s creation. There is still much work to complete, but after a winter of imagining what the mural would look like, the Senior Leaders took a moment to get a preview. They headed outside and placed several completed panels on the wall where they will be permanently installed.  Pictured here is part of Starfinder’s tagline, “Leadership Beyond the Game.” When “Soccer for Social Change” is added along with the multiple soccer team crests we will have both a work of art and an important message to share with Manayunk, Philadelphia, and the world. Expected completion date is at the end of the summer.

^Top
__________________________________________________

Soccer Girls Rule
May 16, 2011

The Hostos and Jay Cooke girls continue to participate eagerly in all of the soccer, educational, and personal development activities in the Soccer Girls Rule (SGR) program. On Saturday, March 12, the Starfinder facility was buzzing when two SGR soccer teams took the pitch to compete against U12 girls from the Anderson Monarch and Fairmount Soccer Clubs. The games were played under FIFA Fair Play rules so scores were not tallied. Prior to the matches, representatives from each team decided the rules for the matches together. There were no referees so the teams worked together to decide how fouls, out-of-bounds plays, and penalties would be handled. After the games, the teams awarded points to each team for sportsmanship, honesty, and fair play. Cheers and raucous applause from the dozens of parents and fans in attendance greeted all the girls as the tournament ended.

On May 7th, SGR traveled to Northeast High School to watch the Liberty Belles, Philadelphia’s women’s football team, take on the Keystone Assault. The girls participated in the pre-game coin toss then played soccer at half-time. Their opponents for the day included Starfinder coaches and Senior Leaders. 

On May 24th, our SGR and Senior Leader girls will participate with girls from the Germantown and Feltonville Soccer Clubs in a soccer clinic sponsored by Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS). Hosted by Starfinder, the clinic will include pro players from the Philadelphia Independence. Participants will receive a Puma ball and Independence wrist band.

Beginning on June 27th, the SGR girls will participate twice weekly in the Starfinder summer program at Edison High School. The girls will work on teambuilding, health, nutrition, and leadership activities facilitated by Starfinder staff coaches and Starfinder Senior Leader girls. After a whole school year of challenging enrichment activities and lots of physical activity, the SGR girls are looking forward to an active summer and year two of the program beginning in late August.

^Top
_______________________________________________

Senior Leaders Stay Active... Off the Pitch
May 16, 2011

As our high school seniors feel the excitement of finding out where their next educational journey will lead them, other Senior Leaders are busy in the classroom and in the computer lab. Since January, our sophomores and juniors have been preparing for the verbal, math, and writing sections of the SAT. Alternating between math problem sets, vocabulary, grammar, and the subtleties of constructing a topic sentence and supporting it with coherent thoughts, participants have gained new knowledge and strategies for all sections of the dreaded test. Participants have been diligent learners and all are hopeful that this added study will enhance their performance.

This winter a group of sophomore Senior Leaders sought to learn more about the issues and consequences of teen pregnancy. Working with mentors from the University Community Collaborative of Philadelphia (UCCP) at Temple University, they explored many sides of this difficult issue. Once they had done their research and thoroughly discussed their thoughts, they wrote a script and created a skit to demonstrate what they had learned. They then got together with the Youth Action Scholars, another high school group associated with UCCP who had been exploring inequality in public education. Each group made a presentation to the other and then discussed both topics. The participants found the project to be very meaningful and a fun way to learn.

UCCP is also partnering with Starfinder to help prepare 30 Senior Leaders for their paid internship roles in our summer program. UCCP is providing training workshops to enhance the teens' skills in organization, facilitation, leadership, collaboration, and project development and management. New this year is a mentorship component to help the Senior Leaders develop their own lessons for the summer curriculum. The interns enhanced their soccer coaching skills during a two day coaching course facilitated by Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Association. Finally, Starfinder staff will train the teens in how to teach our enrichment curriculum, student behavior management, and program oper

Print this page

---