ARLINGTON — Members of Renegade FC didn’t meet on a soccer field to run drills Friday evening.
The girls instead went to a teammate’s home and filled about 50 Easter baskets and dyed hard-boiled eggs for residents at Marysville Care Center, a nursing home on Grove Street.
The reason for getting together to fill the baskets with candy and small gifts was heartfelt.
“We wanted to give something back to the community,” said Chelsie McAdoo, 14.
Club President Roy Berry approached the team of 13 girls with the idea for the service project and his eager team got behind the idea, said coach Rich Davis.
“We talked about doing a few different things and this is what they wanted to do,” Davis said. “They like getting together outside of playing soccer. It’s about more than just soccer, it’s about developing the kids into being good people, too.”
Each girl was responsible for filling at least three baskets, team member Sarah Cronin said.
“It only took us about 20 minutes and it was really fun, especially just being with the rest of the team,” said Sarah, 14.
Albertsons donated 16 dozen eggs and the players and their parents donated candy and other gifts for the baskets. The girls delivered the baskets and eggs to residents at Marysville Care Center on Saturday afternoon.
Residents at the nursing home told the girls a little about themselves, said Autumn Berry, 14.
“It was a really good experience,” she said. “Some (residents) said, ‘Thank you,’ and, ‘God bless you.’ It was sweet.”
The team sang, “You Are My Sunshine,” to residents, said Taylor Cannal. She and a friend on the team hope to make another visit to the center soon.
“We met a lot of people and they told us that their family hadn’t seen them in a long time and they told us they were really grateful to us for spending some time with them,” she said.
The project was fun and a good reason for the team to get together off the soccer field, said Allie Taylor, 12, who showed off stained neon pink fingers on Friday after dying eggs.
“We stick together. It’s like we’re family,” she said.
Davis said his select soccer team had an undefeated fall season and is working toward being ready for the Washington Cup, a tournament that begins April 29 in Olympia. Renegade FC is scheduled to play its first game in the tournament on April 30 at Thurston County Regional Athletic Complex in Lacey.
“They’re a good core group of girls,” Davis said. “They get along and work real hard. They have goals to be players in high school and some have goals to be players in college. I think they’re on the right track.”
Amy Daybert: 425-339-3491; adaybert@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
