District Attorney's Office Awards KSC a $25,000 Grant

Kensington, Pa. On November 9th, Kensington Soccer Club was awarded a $25,000 grant from The District Attorney Larry Krasner’s office. As he announced the grant, Krasner emphasized that what we do is “more than just kicking a ball”. To be more specific he was referring to our work providing youth with a voice through the youth council; hiring teens and young adults as coaches; connecting participants with jobs and mental health resources; running workshops on personal development and conflict resolution and our programming for youth ages 3-Adult. The grant will mainly be used for the Friday night lights program which provides an opportunity for young adults of all ages and genders to have fun playing soccer and a means by which to learn life skills they can take home with them. Through Friday Night Lights, Kensington Soccer Club uses the sport as an avenue to promote peace and provide resources to participants.

Anthony Acevedo spoke at the event on how the club has created a positive impact on his life through his experience with Friday night lights. Anthony explains, “Instead of having to travel to the suburbs to pay for the same thing they [KSC] offer in the neighborhood”, he says, “I find I have a better relationship with the people I am playing with because they live in my everyday life… I am able to network better with players I know… and the positive impact is while playing soccer I am able to go somewhere and play and let my mental health get better and also be better in school...” Acevedos’ words highlight the initial impact of our programming that we intend to build upon with this grant. 

The grant will be used to provide more robust and expert violence prevention programs for our teens and young adults and to continue to expand to involve more people. KSC will use the funding to make Friday Night Lights a year-round program so it can reach more people and build on the foundation created with past participants. The grant will enable KSC to pay for equipment and space rental, as well as hire experts to provide in-house workshops on conflict resolution and violence prevention. Soccer is an entryway for the additional ways that the club promotes positivity and reducing risks of violence and we are excited to be recognized and rewarded for our efforts with Friday night lights, and our other programs all seasons, including the summer.