CINCINNATI – The FC Cincinnati Foundation raised more than $50,000 at its first Ladies Lace-Up event last Thursday night at the new Mercy Health Training Center in Milford, Ohio.
Tickets to the second event of the Foundation’s “Orange & Blue Experiences” series sold out and the Foundation welcomed more than 120 local women to the Mercy Health Training Center to experience FC Cincinnati soccer and learn about the game.
FCC players, staff and coaches – including head coach Ron Jans, assistant coaches Yoann Damet and Jack Stern, strength and conditioning coach Austin Berry, and players Jimmy Hague, Jimmy McLaughlin, Spencer Richey – led on- and off-field soccer stations and guided attendees through the paces with soccer drills, conditioning activities, instructional sessions and competitions.
In addition to sponsorships and registration fees, additional funds were raised through both a silent auction and a raffle of high-end prizes.
The event’s lead sponsors included Always and Nehemiah Manufacturing.
“We’re extremely pleased with our first Ladies Lace Up,” said Kate Solomon, FC Cincinnati Foundation Executive Director. “We’ve heard nothing but praise and support for not only our players and staff who donated their time, but also the overall experience our attendees had on Thursday. We’re looking forward to growing the event in 2020 and being able to offer the experience to even more participants.
“We are also so appreciative of all of the event’s sponsors and they are a really big reason why this first-ever event was so popular. Their involvement with the FC Cincinnati Foundation allows us to offer some very unique opportunities – not only by supporting our deep slate of community programming, but also by staging even more events that allow us to raise funds to expand our programming,” Solomon said.
The Ladies Lace Up platform originated as the popular “Football 101” event, run by the former Marvin Lewis Community Fund. This spring, the program was brought under the FC Cincinnati Foundation umbrella, and modeled into a soccer-education and activity event.
What “Orange & Blue Experiences” Support
“Orange & Blue Experiences” – including Ladies Lace Up, Served by the Pros and The Baileys – support the FC Cincinnati Foundation’s mission to improve the lives of children through soccer.
To achieve these goals, the Foundation offers an ambitious and engaging slate of programming that includes the School Ambassador Program and Soccer for Soccer (in partnership with the U.S. Soccer Foundation); Learning is Cool; the West End Pride Soccer Team; and Mini Pitch builds in the Greater Cincinnati area.
The FC Cincinnati Foundation also provides grants to support community-building initiatives in Cincinnati’s West End community and to not-for-profit organizations with aligned missions.
In 2019, the Foundation’s efforts will have a direct impact on more than 35,000 Cincinnati-area children.
ABOUT THE FC CINCINNATI FOUNDATION
The FC Cincinnati Foundation was launched in December to support transformational change for Cincinnati-area children and impact positive differences in children in underserved communities. The FC Cincinnati Foundation will offer programming to support character development, and both physical and mental well-being while also focusing on community service. Using soccer as a catalyst to reinforce character values to children who may otherwise not have the support, the FC Cincinnati Foundation’s programming will initially focus its efforts in Cincinnati’s West End neighborhood before gradually spreading further into the Greater Cincinnati community. Fans can follow along with the FC Cincinnati Foundation’s community work through its social media channels: @FCC_Foundation on Twitter, /FCCincyFoundation on Facebook and @FCCFoundation on Instagram.
