Mexico soccer club needs your help

Our goal is to raise money, donations, and awareness for a fantastic family coaching a soccer club in a poor town in Mexico. Most of the families cannot afford to pay the $5.50USD per month. This fee includes two-90 minute practices during the week and at least one game on the weekends. The soccer year here operates from September 1st to July 15th with just six weeks off during which they run free soccer camps on the beach for off-season training to keep the kids active. 

OURS GOALS

1st GOAL   Childrens Monthly/
                          Yearly Fees
                          $150 CDN per Child per Year
2nd GOAL  Team Equipment
                          Nets, Balls, Targets, Pylons, etc.
3rd GOAL   Team Jackets and Bags
                           with Team logo and
                           players Names embroidered
4th GOAL    Field/Stands
                           Grass, Hose, Pump,
                           Lawnmower, Paint,  
                           Roof, Bathroom(s)
5th GOAL    Mini Tienda/ Candy Store
                           To earn money for Road Trips
6th GOAL     Transportation for Team
7th GOAL    Scholarships for Kids

The coach, Don Lacho, welcomes everyone in the community to play - even if they cannot afford to pay. Don Lacho will not turn the kids away. We have some kids who come to practice every week but cannot afford to buy their uniforms so they cannot play in games and
many of them cannot even afford the shoes needed to play. After working all day he devotes his time to coaching 4 times per week. The older teens and adults on Monday's and Wednesday's, the young children on Tuesday's and Thursday's, and has many games throughout the weekend, sometimes racing from one field to another.

The coaching team consists of the father, mother, two sons, a daughter and her boyfriend. The team is their life. They coach children from the age of 3 to adults on a field made mostly of dirt. The coach is a welder who races to the fields to coach after working, if and when he has a job. The team is very poor, most parents take the bus and cannot attend away games, nor can they afford to send their child on the bus that the team rents. The coaching family does not even have a car, for 15 years they have walked every day with their soccer balls and other equipment needed for training to the field.

Last year, when I realized that many parents couldn't pay, I did up a poster for our friends and family in Canada. We raised enough to sponsor 5 kids for the year. Total cost per kid is about $150CDN per year and that pays for all their monthly practices, their uniforms, and their league registration. While it was a good attempt, we realized that it is not enough and we can try to do more for the community.

We have donated uniforms and shoes over the years. WestJet allows people to bring a suitcase full of items for donations at no extra charge which is fantastic. The coach's wife, Doña Nancy, who is also the team manager, will sometimes run home to get a pair of shoes that have been donated if a child had shoes that are too small or were falling apart and give them to the child. Sometimes swapping them so the smaller shoes can go to another child in need. Quite often in games, one of the boys will have to borrow shoes while the other kid stands on the sideline in his socks.

Even though Don Lacho is having difficulty acquiring good paying jobs, he still shows up for practice to teach the kids. He was in tears as he told me that he did not know how he could continue. In the 3 years we have been on his team neither himself, nor any of the parents, have ever asked us for money to help them out. Actually that is not true, he recently needed to replace his knee brace and asked me to loan him the $65usd he needed to buy it so he could continue to run at practice with his kids.

Ok, so I could go on and on. My point is that we want to raise money in the best way possible for this team and community. We have been amazed and touched by this family. Their dedication and love for these kids is unbelievable.

Donations of any kind will be appreciated. Our first goal is to try to sponsor at least the 5 families we helped last year. If we could sponsor everyone that needed it, that would be fantastic. Some of the children are brought to the games by their grandparents who are also raising them. While they may be able to afford the 80 pesos a month it is definitely an extra expense. For families who are able to pay the monthly fee, we would like to donate an additional amount on their behalf to ensure that Don Lacho and his family have the funds necessary to remain competitive. In recent years, the monthly fee was 50 pesos per month (about $3.50USD) and many people could not afford that. In just the last two years it was raised to 80 pesos per month (about $5.50USD) and more people are having difficulty. 

After all the basic items have been purchased, we would love to purchase some new practice equipment- goal nets, targets, pylons, coaching white boards, balls, etc. Obviously as you can see in the attached video, the team has a lot of needs before we ever start looking at what they may want. Grass, water hoses and pumps, paint, lawnmowers, track suits, sports bags, stands, roof, bathrooms, etc would only happen if enough money is raised.

If we could raise enough money to help more families, we would like to sponsor a set amount of families in the community over the next 5 to 10 years. Possible scholarships if the funds are available as many children do not attend school past grade 7 in our area.

Please help us help this local community in Mexico, where Don Lacho and his family are providing the best they can for the love of the children.

Thank you for your time,
Kurt Schroeder

Please note that this fundraiser is in
CANADIAN DOLLARS
To All American Donors:
Do not worry as you will be able to do the exchange right at the time of donation and even get a 15% discount due to the exchange rate if you want to give more....

To All Donors:
This is in Canadian Funds, if you decide to donate 50 Pesos, that will be about $4 Canadian!

PLEASE NOTE: below this text are buttons to donate for certain things, if you would like to set your own amount, please do so.