Formerly Homeless Clients of Volunteers of America Sacramento Participating in Street Soccer USA Cup

For Immediate Release:
Contact: Christie Holderegger, Vice President/Chief Development & Communications Officer
Volunteers of America  Greater Sacramento & Northern Nevada
(916) 442-3691 or christie@voa-sac.org 

Barry Wisdom, Public Relations & Marketing Officer
916-442-3691 or barryw@voa-sac.org


SACRAMENTO, Cal., July 27, 2010 – An eight-person contingent, including five formerly homeless men and one woman who are current students or graduates of Volunteers of America’s Mather Community Campus transitional housing program, will head to Washington, D.C. July 29 to compete in the annual Street Soccer USA Cup (July 29-Aug. 1) at the Washington Kastles Team Tennis Stadium.

The Street Soccer USA Cup is a unique “sports for social change” event in the United States featuring homeless youth and adults, male and female, from 18 cities across the country where they participate in local programs. The three-day tournament offers fast-paced four-versus-four street soccer action, and showcases the on-and-off-court accomplishments of the players who have too often been written off by mainstream society.

This year, 200 players – including the Sacramento Mohawks’ Lisa Wrightsman (pictured right) – will take part in the tournament. At the culmination of the tournament, the national men’s and women’s teams will be chosen to represent the United States at the Homeless World Cup in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Wrightsman, a current Mather Community Campus student, is a former professional soccer player who attended Sacramento State University on a soccer scholarship. As too often happens, her path was detoured by drugs, alcohol and homelessness. Now clean and sober, Wrightsman’s way back has been supported by her participation in the Volunteers of America-sponsored street soccer program coached by case manager Chris Mann. Mann is assisted in his coaching duties by MCC graduate Wes Colter, who was named to the SSUSA national team in 2009, representing the United States at the Homeless World Cup in Milan, Italy.

“Our goal is to make people aware of Volunteers of America and to spread the word that we have amazing programs like Mather Community Campus,” said Mann, who founded the Mohawks in 2008. “We’ve found the solution for chronic homelessness at Mather Community Campus – our stats are these: 80 percent of Mather Community Campus students secure permanent housing, and 60 percent find jobs.”

Mather Community Campus is a one-year transitional housing and job-training program for homeless men and women in collaboration with the Sacramento Area Emergency Housing Center and Crossroads Diversified Services. In addition, the Sacramento Employment Training Agency (SETA) provides job training at the Mather One Stop Career Center. To date, more than 2,000 adults and children have been served since MCC opened in 1995.

The Street Soccer USA Cup team members set to travel to Washington, D.C. for the 2010 SSUSA Cup are: Matt Klanjac (MCC alumnus); Cris Rich (MCC alumnus); Nick Montez (MCC alumnus); Lucas Contreras (juvenile justice program participant); Lisa Wrightsman (current MCC student); Rudolfo Hilbert (current MCC student). Contreras is a client of Colter’s, who works for the California Department of Corrections.

The Sacramento Mohawks team members and coaching staff depart Sacramento International Airport for Washington, D.C. on a 12:30 a.m. red-eye July 29. For some it’s their first flight. For most, it’s a first-time trip to the nation’s capital.

Consisting of two rounds of round-robin competition, followed by a single-elimination third round, the Street Soccer USA Cup aims to “get homeless men, women and youth off the streets – scoring goals on the field, and achieving their goals in life.”

“It’s an honor to work with this group and watch the truth about their lives unfold,” said Mann. “It gives the people I have come in contact with incredible satisfaction to know that their hard work is paying off.” 

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About Street Soccer USA
Street Soccer USA is a sports-based organization focused on eradicating homelessness and poverty via onsite soccer programs and community building at social service agencies and homeless shelters across the nation. Under the auspices of its parent organization, HELP USA (www.helpusa.org), Street Soccer USA presents the annual Street Soccer USA Cup, which brings together the 18-team league comprised of homeless men and women across the United States for three days of competition and camaraderie. The top eight players at the SSUSA Cup, who exemplify leadership, sportsmanship, and skill both on and off the field, go on to represent the United States in the 48-nation Homeless World Cup. This year, the Homeless World Cup will be held in Milan, Italy in September 2009. For more on the 2009 Street Soccer USA Cup, go to www.StreetSoccerUSA.org, or call Lawrence Cann, founder and CEO, at 646.385.1714.

About Volunteers of America Greater Sacramento & Northern Nevada
Established locally in 1911, the Greater Sacramento & Northern Nevada affiliate of Volunteers of America is one of the largest providers of social services in the region, operating programs dedicated to ending homelessness, supporting the most vulnerable populations and transforming communities. Each night, Volunteers of America Greater Sacramento & Northern Nevada provides housing for as many as 1,800 men, women and children in its service communities. For more information, see VolunteersofAmerica-sac.org, or call 916.442.3691. Established locally in 1911, the Greater Sacramento & Northern Nevada affiliate of Volunteers of America is one of the largest providers of social services in the region, operating programs dedicated to ending homelessness, supporting the most vulnerable populations and transforming communities. Each night, Volunteers of America Greater Sacramento & Northern Nevada provides housing for as many as 1,800 men, women and children in its service communities. For more information, see www.VolunteersofAmerica-sac.org, or call 916.442.3691.

About Volunteers of America
Volunteers of America is a national, nonprofit, faith-based organization dedicated to helping those in need live healthy, safe and productive lives. Since 1896, our ministry of service has supported and empowered America's most vulnerable groups, including seniors, people with disabilities, at-risk youth, men and women returning from prison, homeless individuals and families, those recovering from addictions and many others. Through hundreds of human service programs, including housing and healthcare, Volunteers of America helps more than 2 million people in over 400 communities. We offer a variety of services for older Americans, in particular, that allow them to maintain their independence and quality of life – everything from an occasional helping hand to full-time care. Our work touches the mind, body, heart and ultimately the spirit of those we serve, integrating our deep compassion with highly effective programs and services.