EVERETT – Raised in foster homes in California and later Snohomish, Carlos Becerra never had the chance to play sports as a young boy. Sometimes there were family issues, but more often there was just no money.
Looking on as other kids tossed footballs gave him a longing he would never forget. It led him, decades later, to want something better for needy youngsters in Everett who would otherwise be left peering through the fence, just as he had been.
This fall, Becerra organized the Everett Nighthawks football program for boys and girls ages 6-12. There are plenty of youth football teams around Snohomish County, of course, but what sets the Nighthawks apart are the scholarships given freely to kids from low-income families. There is a $150 registration fee, but it is waived for financial hardships.
In other words, those who can pay, play. Those who cannot pay, they play, too.
“We don’t turn any kid away who can’t afford it,” Becerra said. “If you need help, that’s fine. We don’t ask for any documentation and you don’t have to give us a long life story about it.”
So where does the money come from?
“Mainly out of my pocket,” said Becerra, who owns a company that does general maintenance on commercial boats.
Because this is the first year for the Nighthawks, the start-up costs were sizable. Becerra figures $10,000 was spent on equipment, league fees, insurance and other expenditures. He has paid back about $6,000 from sponsorships and other sources, but still owes close to $4,000.
Asked about that, Becerra smiles and shrugs.
“I just wish I’d been able to get involved in something like this when I was a kid,” he said. “But growing up in foster homes, I didn’t have that opportunity.
“Honestly,” he added, “I know a lot of these kids and they just love being here because it gives them the chance to belong to something. Here, they’re part of a team.”
The Nighthawks offer a flag team for ages 6-8, tackle teams for ages 9-10 and 11-12, and a cheerleading squad. Practices are at the Everett Boys &Girls Club in the north end of town, with many of the youngsters coming from surrounding neighborhoods. It is not an area of affluence. Becerra estimates that more than half the roughly 80 children in the program come from families getting public assistance. Though there are some stable, two-parent families, there are also broken homes and homes with substance-abuse problems. One of the team moms, he said, is a recovering methamphetamine addict.
The kids, though, are like kids anywhere. Give them pads and a helmet, and put them on a field with a ball, and they are joyously happy.
And there’s another benefit. By signing up for the Nighthawks, the youngsters become members of the Boys &Girls Club of Everett, which entitles them to club privileges, including a free after-school meal and homework help if they need it.
Ken Berry, who lives in the north Everett area, says his 9-year-old son, Jalend, cried when he thought he would not play football this year.
“When I was shopping around for a team,” said Berry, who is out of work after being injured several years ago, “they were asking $300 or $350. And with paying the rent, the car payments and the insurance, that was going to be kind of hard.”
But then Berry called Becerra “and he said, ‘My motto is, don’t let money be an issue for a kid who wants to play.’ He said, ‘The kids who can’t afford it, but they’re good kids and they really have a desire to play, I want those kids playing for me.’ And I said, ‘I’ll bring him right down.’”
Likewise, Heather Carlson of Everett thought her 10-year-old son, Austin, might not be able to play this year. A stay-at-home mother with three children, her husband recently had a decrease in hours at his job.
“We called Carlos and he said, ‘We have scholarships available for you. And I don’t need to know what your situation is.’ I was like, ‘Wow!’ It was a dream for Austin because he really wanted to play, but at that time (money) was just so tight for us,” Carlson said. “And then our daughter came here and saw the girls cheering and she said, ‘I want to get into that.’ And they said, ‘Here’s another scholarship for you.’”
With the Nighthawks well into their inaugural season, Becerra is already making plans for next year. He would like to double the number of players in the program and is looking for additional donors. If more sponsors step up, he said, “then we can just grow and grow and grow.”
Without football, he said, many of these kids “would more than likely be getting into trouble somewhere. Because a lot of their parents, to be quite honest with you, are not even at home. Who knows where mom and dad are, which is why a lot of the kids will flat-out tell you that this is like a home to them.”
When evening practice ends, said Becerra, who has three boys of his own in the program, “these kids have spent two hours here instead of playing video games or being in a house by themselves. That gives me a good feeling. These kids are in a safe place, having fun.
“Knowing that is what makes me happy.”
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