KSC Receives $5,000 From Elfant Pontz Properties — Donor Stories

Bob Elfant (L) & Jared Pontz (R) of Elfant Pontz Properties./Courtesy of Elfant Pontz Properties

Kensington Soccer Club was delighted to receive a $5,000 donation from Elfant Pontz Properties, a real estate rental company in Northwest Philadelphia that operates all over the city. The money being donated has been earmarked to support local organizations that work with youth and/or the arts, particularly organizations that are under the radar in the city.

Melanie Pontz, a philanthropic consultant for the company, was brought on to research and dig deep into numerous community organizations across the city to evaluate the size of their reach and impact. After digging deep into our organization and having conversations with Executive Director Jim Hardy, Pontz was highly impressed with how much heart and soul was put into the organization by Hardy, staff members, coaches, and school counterparts.

Pontz took some time to answer a few questions for us.

Q: How did you come across our organization?

A: I have a friend/acquaintance at my children’s school who has been getting to know organizations in Kensington through her consulting work with the city. Kensington Soccer Club came up on the list of grantees that they supported, so I started doing my own research and reached out to Jim.

Q: What about Kensington Soccer Club stood out to Elfant Pontz Properties?

A: Your mission of access to soccer for the Kensington community. It’s not necessarily about the soccer itself; it’s more about the acces and the ability to play if they want to play, bringing soccer as close as possible to these kids so they have that access. Another piece that stood out was how sustainable your model seems to be. As some players go through the program, some become mentors and maybe even staff members.

Q: Why is it important for other organizations to consider supporting community organizations like ours?

A: I think it’s important to bring awareness to small organizations because so many times the general community doesn’t know how big of an impact the organizations are having on their communities. Even a small donation will go a long way.

Q: If someone asked you if they should donate to Kensington Soccer Club, what would you say?

A: Absolutely!