Midvale soccer club helps less fortunate families during the holidays

The Utah Avalanche soccer club has been a big supporter of the Midvale area for several years. In addition to donating soccer goals and supplies to the Midvale Boys and Girls Club and helping with clinics at the Copperview Recreation Center, the team also rents practice space during the winter from the Midvale Boys and Girls Club.

In December, the club decided to expand its help to other people in need during the holiday season. The club partnered with the United Way to help several families in Utah County this December. Utah Avalanche Director of Youth Development Karen Chin said this opportunity gave players the chance to see there are needs all around them.

“We were able to help 15 families and about 51 children with gifts during December,” Chin said. “It was a great experience to see that even small acts of service can help out a lot.”

The 28 teams within the Utah Avalanche organization raised money to purchase items for the families. Chin said the teams worked closely with the United Way to get information about ages and sizes for the children. Once the gifts were purchased, the team gathered together to wrap everything so it could be delivered near Christmas time.

For the last several years, Avalanche players have seen the needs in the Midvale community as they have practiced at the Midvale Boys and Girls Club. Chin said several players asked about the food that is available to Midvale club members and their families.

“It was a real eye opener for our girls to see that there are families that need help all around them,” she said. “During practices we started seeing the girls bringing canned food to leave at the Midvale club to help out. These girls are able to see the need and just how much good they can do by bringing in a few cans of food.”

Chin said giving back to the communities that support the Utah Avalanche soccer club is a big part of the club’s mission. Not only does it help support people that need help, but also allows the girls to be a part of the community.

“Opportunities like this make these girls better people, which in turn makes them better soccer players,” Chin said. “Because they recognize the opportunity they have been given to play at a club level, it helps them appreciate what they have and makes them more aware of others around them that are less fortunate.”

This is the second year the club has worked with the United Way to help families in need during the holiday season. Chin said it’s become very popular and the girls looked forward to helping out again this year.

“We want to teach our girls to become better soccer players but more importantly, we want to help them become better people,” Chin said.