The final whistle has sounded on a summer of soccer through Hope through Housing’s Healthy Futures Initiative.
The two-day Upland soccer camp brought 65 children together with Empire Strykers players Aug. 10 and 11 for the final stop in a series of free camps held across the Inland Empire this summer.
For the Strykers players who spent the summer teaching children soccer fundamentals, the camps were an opportunity to share their love of the game with the next generation.
“We like doing these camps to get the community together, we want to get kids out of their house and play soccer,” Empire Strykers player Brian Orozco said. “I love the sport, and me being able to teach the younger generation, it’s an honor and a privilege.”
Led by Hope through Housing, the Healthy Futures Initiative brings together partners from across the Inland Empire to expand access to wellness, prevention and healthy living opportunities that improve quality of life and strengthen individuals, families and communities.
Throughout the summer, Empire Strykers players led two-day camps in Ontario, Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, Victorville and Upland, working with 546 total children at different skill levels through drills, games and hands-on instruction.
Jesus Molina, who has been with the Strykers for six years, loved seeing how eager the children were to learn.
“They’re willing to work. They’re willing to learn. They want to play,” Molina said. “They want to be here. That’s my favorite part.”
That willingness was something players saw firsthand in Upland. Orozco shared that Nicholas, 7, who didn’t talk when he arrived on the first day of camp, was running across the field, making friends and scoring goals by the program’s end.
“From day one, he was kind of shy and then all of a sudden, today, he’s just out there playing, talking and scoring goals,” Orozco said. “It’s so nice to see kids get out of their shell and enjoy the game.”
Strykers player Alan Perez said the camps offered an opportunity to pass along lessons he has learned through soccer.
“My parents taught me how to be very disciplined, and that taught me a lot about soccer,” Perez said. “In soccer, you learn a lot about how to be disciplined, and that makes you a better player. The better player I become, the better coach I can be for the kids.”
Thank you to the following community partners for helping make the August 10 and 11 Healthy Futures Initiative camps possible:
San Bernadino County – Behavioral Health
Assembly Member Michelle Rodriguez
City of Upland – Recreation & Community Services
