The Community Kicks program received a massive boost in its efforts to assist the youth of Michigan with a generous donation to the tune of $10,000. The donators, Gabi and Alex Severt were residents of Ann Arbor, before moving to California in late-2019.
Massive supporters of AFC Ann Arbor (the Severt’s are part of the Main Street Hooligans), as well as Community Kicks and The Mighty Oak Youth Project (TMOYP), the Severts became outstanding members of the community, as well. "When we moved to Michigan in late 2016, we had one friend in town and little idea of how we would make Ann Arbor a home,” they said. “Fast forward a few years and we can confidently say that the AFC Ann Arbor family is a family we can call our own.” They also added, “The love that the folks at AFC Ann Arbor and by extension, TMOYP and Community Kicks have for Michigan really is something to aspire to.”
Speaking as to why they chose to donate to Community Kicks and TMOYP in particular, the Severts said, “Blending things that are fun, with things that are vital to healthy child development is really a no brainer.” They continued, saying, “When an organization that has such a simple yet effective operation happens to be spearheaded by some of the best people we know, it just made sense.”
Nick Lacy, Chairman of TMOYP, knows how important this donation is at a time like this.
“When the COVID-19 crisis hit, so many of the plans of the TMOYP were delayed or canceled. We saw this illness hit our community, saw parents struggling, and kids without healthy physical outlets, and our hearts broke. We could not help kids and families as we had in the past, and lacked the resources to shift our delivery.”
Talking about what this donation could do for the program, Lacy said, “The gift from the Severts will have an enormous impact on our ability to engage kids, help families and provide positive experiences for kids that so desperately need them at this time; and it is not an exaggeration to call this gift transformational.” He would add, “We are grateful that the Severts have chosen to invest in our regions' youth through Community Kicks.”
Bilal Saeed, Chairman of AFC Ann Arbor, and Co-Founder of TMOYP and one of the people behind the creation of Community Kicks, said, "The Severts’ gift will make an impact on hundreds of kids in Ypsilanti, Detroit and across the state through soccer and wellness education.” He added, “I've been lucky to get to know them over the past couple of years and am beyond grateful they're a part of the AFCAA Family.” He would also state, “Their commitment to making a difference is truly inspiring."
“In a time where maybe soccer can’t be done at the scale that it could have been done in the summer's past, we feel it’s even more important to build other good habits and celebrate what our communities can do to support each other,” the Severts noted. “Simply put,” they said, on why they felt the desire to assist in this way, “we just wanted to help good people do good things in the world.”
The money the Severts have donated will support the amount of lunch bags disributed at feeding sites all across the state of Michigan, as well as additional necessary resources and projects geared towards encourage youth participation in soccer from home. We are grateful towards the Severts and thank them profusely for their kindness.
About Community Kicks
Founded in 2018 by AFC Ann Arbor, Milk Means More and Olympian Lindsay Tarpley, the goal was to introduce soccer to kids who previously didn’t have access to the sport. By partnering up with feeding sites and adding nutritional and life-skills components, the program developed quickly and expanded rapidly in 2019 to include spending more time at each site. Community Kicks has been operating its programming around the state with specific emphasis in Ypsilanti, Detroit, Portage, Muskegon and Lansing.
About AFC Ann Arbor
Association Football Club Ann Arbor began competing as a top men’s team in 2015 before adding a women’s side in 2019. The club’s sporting director, Eric Rudland, has helped shaped the culture of a club that can springboard players into the pros from Ann Arbor. In addition to creating a culture rooted in winning, the club has a strong focus on serving the community with projects such as Community Kicks, Kicks & Tricks and our youth player and women coaching scholarships offered through The Mighty Oak Youth Project, our non-profit arm. AFC Ann Arbor is dedicated to making Washtenaw County a stronger community through soccer.