EVERETT — Everett police Lt. Manuel Garcia’s heart is so big he can’t be trusted with a certain task.
He’s organized the Casino Road Futbol Academy for years. With help, he handles almost everything. He gets donations for the use of a soccer field,
and for the kids’ meals, the soccer balls and T-shirts. He handles the legal headaches, invites speakers and wrangles volunteers.
Despite all that, he’s not allowed to perform one job — handling the kids who show up after camp is full.
He just can’t turn them away. He ends up scrambling to find them soccer balls and T-shirts so they can join in.
This year, though, no more than 500 kids will get to participate. That’s because of logistics, and someone besides Garcia will be holding the line.
The camp is officially in its third year, but an earlier version started five years ago, Garcia said. A former professional soccer player for Cruz Azul in Mexico City, he learned long ago that soccer was his passion — and an alternative to getting in trouble.
He also learned that soccer wasn’t everything. To make it in the world, he needed an education.
That’s exactly the lesson he hopes to impart to the hundreds of kids who’ll pour onto the Walter E. Hall Park field along West Casino Road in June. The camp targets kids in the Casino Road community.
Registration opened last week. At least a third of the spots already were pledged, many to kids in foster care who are provided scholarships to come.
Everett police consider the camp a key part of Project Impact, their award-winning crime prevention program, Sgt. Robert Goetz said. The cops enjoy the chance to connect with kids in a positive way.
School districts, teachers, coaches, church groups and city leaders also donate time and resources, Garcia said. One woman even brings camp leaders homemade Mexican food to keep them going.
The support is overwhelming and humbling, Garcia said.
La Hacienda restaurant owner Marco Gomez has helped with the camp since the beginning.
When it started, Gomez was looking for a way to keep his own kids off the street and keep them busy. One of the goals of the soccer community is to get more Hispanic kids into sports.
A lot of them play wall soccer, but the cost of team sports can be too much for their families, he said.
The idea for the camp came from watching kids at Walter E. Hall Park, Garcia said. He’d see them hanging around, bored.
What if someone gave them a soccer ball, he wondered.
The first year, when the camp was more informal, 80 kids showed up.
Now it lasts five days and includes soccer skill drills, police presentations, motivational speakers and learning competitions.
The camp has to make a big impact in a short time, Garcia said. It’s paramount for kids who don’t have a lot of positives in their lives. Gang prevention is a big motive of the program.
Mukilteo science teacher Susan Songstad couldn’t say no when Garcia asked for her help organizing the camp.
She couldn’t believe the enthusiasm and turnout she saw from kids and their parents.
Many of her students are Hispanic, she said. Their love for soccer runs deeps.
“When I bring it up, those are the kids that are jumping out of their seats to sign up,” she said.
It’s not just Hispanic kids, she said. Many of the camp’s participants are on reduced or free-lunch plans or have other indicators of need.
The soccer camp keeps the kids fed, clothed and supervised for a week, she said. They take home soccer skills and life lessons.
Since the camp started, Garcia has seen changes in attitudes along Casino Road. For example, parents who volunteer as coaches have shown themselves to their children in a new light — as leaders.
That’s empowering for families, Garcia said.
The camp is funded entirely by donations, he said. The costs of goods, like the soccer balls and the T-shirts, go up every year. He’s ramping up his donation drive as the first day of camp nears.
He hopes that eventually others will take over the Casino Road Futbol Academy as their own endeavor.
“The club needs to keep on running,” he said. “That is the bottom line.”
Garcia was promoted to lieutenant last month. After three decades in law enforcement, he started asking himself what else he had left to do. What was needed from him before he left? Down the road, how could he look back on all the grueling years of police work with a smile and a sense of warmth?
The soccer camp came to mind.
“I think this is something that is worth it,” he said.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com
Casino Road soccer camp
For more information, contact the Casino Road Futbol Academy at 425-244-6318. Donations can be sent to 205 E. Casino Road, B16 Box 80, Everett, WA 98208.
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