VIA: Oak Grove Association
WorldLegacy Vision in Action Community Project Oak Grove
We all know that youth who have healthy activities along with healthy relationships with adults in their communities stand a far better chance of avoiding involvement in drugs, gangs, and other high risk activities.
In the community of Oak Grove in Durham, NC, youth from the neighborhood have a place to go and people who care about them. It’s a place where they can play sports and pass the time in positive ways, but more importantly, learn about team, sportsmanship, and what it is to be supported by an their own community. For more than 40 years, the Oak Grove Association for Athletes, Inc. (OGAA), a non-profit (501c3) organization, has offered this facility for neighborhood youth to play organized sports. OGAA provides sports programs in basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, football and cheerleading for area youth age 4-17 and serves youth from Durham, Wake, Granville and Orange counties.
OGAA is a volunteer-run center aiming to provide a safe and fun atmosphere for youth. Volunteers take care of the grounds upkeep, field/gym maintenance, stocking and running of the concession stand. And, even though registration fees collected for participation go toward expenses, the fees fall far short of covering the upkeep and repairs needed to create a safe, enjoyable facility for these youth. Highest priority is a gym floor so that the children are running and playing on a safe surface rather than concrete.
WorldLegacy’s VIA 1 team has committed to improving this facility to better support the good work of the OGAA for youth. We will through volunteers and donations will provide and install the new gym floor, a composite multi-purpose gym floor measuring 47×76 feet. Other needs of the OGAA include:
• Grass seed and fertilizer for 4 baseball fields and 1 soccer/football field
• Scoreboards (outside for each field; inside for basketball)
• Field lighting is currently outdated and in need of repair/replacement
• Fill dirt for middle baseball field for proper drainage
• Field maintenance and repair
• Fencing repair/maintenance
• Ceiling repair in gym
• Upgrading of rest room facilities (partitions & urinals)
• Outdoor water fountains
Please help the VIA 1 team from The WorldLegacy to raise funds and work to create a healthy, fun, positive space for these young people. All donations are tax deductible and will benefit the youth participants. Many of today’s parent volunteers who played sports at OGAA want to continue the rich tradition of passing on to their children the value of community sports programs as well as giving back to the organization that served them as youth.
From Immanuel Jarvis, the president of the Oak Grove Athletic Association. Immanuel shares the story of a child who discovered through her involvement with OGAA and soccer the play and enthusiasm that makes the difference in not only sports, but life!
“We have many stories, but I’ll share one personal to me:
There is a girl on my soccer team (we’ll call her Jodi) that has been playing for two years now. She struggles academically in school and has difficulty paying attention and focusing. While playing soccer in previous seasons, she also struggled learning the rules, positions, and just fitting in with the team. Unfortunately, she also had coaches that assumed that she didn’t have the ability to perform and so she didn’t play a lot. Instead, she often sat on the bench for the majority of games. Becoming more and more dispirited, she became less engaged and was on the verge of quitting the sport.
This year, Jodi’s mother was able to convince her to try soccer one more time. I drafted her on my team and was immediately informed of Jodi’s past experiences by her parents. Because I realize that participation at this level is so much more important that wins and loses, my coaching team was determined to make sure everyone on the team plays at least 50% of each game. Our practices were intense, but the girls rose to the physical and mental challenges that we put forth. Jodi began to gel with the team, to focus, and understand her role as a defensive player.
Towards the end of the regular season, Jodi’s mom came to me and asked if I had seen any improvement with her. I acknowledged that she was progressing but her mother was insistent that Jodi had completing blossomed and her enthusiasm for soccer had grown. “That’s all she talks about. She looks forwards to the games and practice. Do you see how she’s so engaged in the game?” “I guess you’re right”, I acknowledged. Jodi’s mom reminded me that her child hadn’t really found much that she was great in and struggled in other sports and her schoolwork. She asked me to keep encouraging her-to fuel her confidence… but I had a better idea.
The following game, Jodi was playing in her normal defensive position. On the opposite side of the field, a penalty was call against the other team. The referee set up a penalty kick for a one-on-one kick against the opposing goalie. Naturally, the stronger players on our team assumed that they would take the kick. But I called Jodi from her defensive position to try for the score. Many of our sideline questioned my decision as she trotted up field, but I knew that this opportunity would mean more to her than any other. Jodi, stepped back and waited for the ref’s whistle. Upon the signal, Jodi ran up, struck the ball, and watched it hit the back of the net. Needless to say, that was one of the best goals of the year. The sideline cheered more for that goal than any other. Not only did she score the only goal for our team, she was honored with the ‘Player of the Game’ award. I can proudly report to you that Jodi is ‘hooked’ on soccer. Somehow, the passion for soccer is back and she is excited, engaged, progressing faster than ever.
HELLO LEGACY FAMILY!
I am writing because the PLAYFUL VIA1 is up to some cool stuff! As part of the first Vision in Action (VIA1) senior LP training, a part of our team (inspired by our LP community service projects) decided it was time again to make a big difference for a local organization as one of our BIG, JUICY, PLAYFUL VIA goals.
So Donna Hardin (NC41), Patti Long (NC103, NC111, PhD 9), Joseph Long (NC100, PhD 9), and myself, Sarah Taylor (NC111, NC116) have adopted Oak Grove Assocation for Athletes (OGAA) for an Extreme Makeover – Oak Grove Edition!
OGGA is a volunteer run organization aiming to provide a safe and fun atmosphere for youth. For more than 40 years, OGAA, a non-profit (501 c3) organization has offered its facilities to neighborhood youth, age 4-17, to play basketball, soccer, baseball, and cheerleading. Overall, they serve over 750 families from Durham, Wake, Granville, and Orange counties each year!
The kids are currently playing with knee pads on concrete! So, we, the PLAYFUL VIA1, have committed to improving OGAA’s basketball gym by purchasing and installing a new, composite, multi-purpose gym floor (among other improvements).
We are asking people to come out and PLAY with us…we want YOUR SUPPORT to raise funds and volunteers to create a healthy, fun, positive space for these youth to PLAY!
Project Weekend: Saturday December 4-5, 2010 (start 8am each day)
Requests: Volunteers, monetary/material donations (see items listed at the end of the email)
All donations are tax deductible and will directly benefit the Families served by OGAA. Many of the parent volunteers within the organization actually played OGAA sports.
So like our own Kathleen Mottus, NC1, OGAA is creating it’s own lasting LEGACY.
Will you join us in helping the OGAA Legacy continue?
For donations call WorldLegacy