S.T.E.P. joins Deltona Youth Soccer Club to Leave a GOOD Footprint
Local teen founder of Save The Earth Projects (S.T.E.P.) locks arms with area soccer club to collect gently-used shoes and provide scholarships for kids in need.
- Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL (1888PressRelease) April 30, 2015 - Neither flood, nor FEMA, nor lack of money could stop one determined young girl in doing everything she could to make this world we live in a better place. Olivia Russo-Hood, (who started S.T.E.P. at age 10) and her family were displaced when epic floods hit their hometown in Georgia in '09. They lost their home, neighborhood, school and friends. So what to do? Start a movement for change of course! S.T.E.P. stands for Save the Earth Projects and was developed by Olivia with the idea to grossly reduce the negative impact our everyday choices cause.
300 million pair of shoes wind up in USA landfills annually, yet 300 million people in the world don't have adequate footwear. 100,000 kids die each year from parasites and disease that enter cuts in feet. All to be prevented with a safe pair of shoes that we no longer wear or have outgrown.
Olivia started her "Leave a GOOD Footprint" (TM) campaign almost 3 years ago at the Four Townes YMCA. The Y prides itself on the pillars of Youth Development, Social Responsibility, and Healthy Living. Olivia has been an active participant in the YMCA soccer, Tae Kwon Do, Zumba, Yoga, and teen leadership programs.
In 2014, Olivia was awarded the YMCA "Making a Difference in Local and Global Communities" honor. In 2015, the directors of the YMCA nominated Olivia for the Prudential Spirit of Community Award and last week presented her with a letter from President Obama about her community volunteer involvement.
Since that first shoe collection at the YMCA, Olivia has collected over 15,000 pair of shoes and raised money for several charities around the USA and UK.
Now, Olivia is teaming up with the Deltona Youth Soccer Club (DYSC) with a three-fold mission: 1. LOCAL: Help raise funds for kids that cannot afford to play soccer, 2. NATIONAL: Reduce the impact that shoes have in our landfills, 3. GLOBAL: Send the shoes to people in the most need.
DYSC boasts around 600 players and is the oldest club in the area (founded in 1981).
Club President, Travis Owens, is thrilled to partner with the project and has a close tie to Russo-Hood as he has coached and worked directly with her younger brother Vincent for the past 5 years.
"We are dedicated to providing area kids and players an affordable place to play and to develop their skills regardless of play level. The club has teams playing at the recreational, region cup, state cup and premiere levels. Our association with S.T.E.P. is a smart alliance that helps our local and global communities," says Owens.
Coach Orlando De La Torre is the Director of Coaching for DYSC and also very happy to partner with Olivia. "This is a great opportunity for the DYSC and local community to get involved in this important cause. We will collect shoes during the tryouts May 26-28 at Dewey Boster Park in Deltona. Bring your boys and girls (U8-U19) to try-out for the 2014-15 season, and don't forget to bring your gently-used shoes!", says Coach Orlando.
S.T.E.P. and DYSC will take all types of gently-used shoes (adult, kid and baby) with the exception of skates, winter boots, flip flops and fuzzy slippers.
ABOUT DYSC:
DYSC is located on Saxon Blvd. off I-4 at exit 111 in Deltona. The 65 acre facility offers 6 full size soccer fields, full concession stand, multiple restroom facilities, 2 children's play areas and plenty of open space to enjoy the games. Parking is abundant and the club can host tournaments of up to 110 teams without the need to schedule off-site matches. We are also the spring training facility of the MLS team, Philadelphia Union. Deltona Youth Soccer Club's home fields are at the Dewey Boster Sports Complex. It is located at 1200 Saxon Blvd. http://www.deltonayouthsoccerclub.com/
ABOUT S.T.E.P.
Save the Earth Projects (S.T.E.P.) is a youth social entrepreneurship idea organizing social change. This type of organization recognizes a social problem and then organizes, creates, and/or manages a social venture to make change. Corporate businesses typically focus on profit and return, whereas social enterprises also measure the returns to society. Currently, Olivia is partnering with peers across the nation as an effort to raise awareness about global issues, while also helping to raise funds for local charities. Take a stand by taking a S.T.E.P.
Web: www.savetheearthprojects.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SaveTheEarthProjects
Twitter: https://twitter.com/STEPandTAL
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