Torrance, CA (June 16, 2020) — From June 1st through August 1st, 2020, the AYSO W.H.E.N! Foundation invites Regions, teams, players, volunteers, and community members to take part in the Everyone Plays® Challenge, a peer-to-peer campaign that aims to raise crucial funds for the nearly 800 Regions that in whole have lost approximately $9 million in revenue due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Program refunds, non-refundable expenses and a double digit unemployment rate have left many AYSO families and Regions with a lack of resources to cover registration fees or launch a new season this Fall. In response to this crisis, the AYSO W.H.E.N! Foundation is launching the Everyone Plays® Grant program in conjunction with the Challenge, which will allow Regions and AYSO Families experiencing hardships, in relation to playing soccer in the fall, to apply for a grant that will help them have an opportunity to play when it is safe to get on the field.

“We knew that it was important to create a pathway for friends and families of AYSO to support our return to the field due to the unanticipated hardships COVID-19 caused,” shared Matt Winegar, Transitional Executive Director, AYSO. “We are grateful that the W.H.E.N! Foundation is an avenue that will allow us to address the need.”  

The AYSO W.H.E.N! Foundation challenges participants to each raise just $50.“If 1,000 AYSO players, friends, supporters, and/or volunteers each raise $50, we could garner $50,000 to support AYSO Regions and players,” shares Brooke Poklemba, W.H.E.N! Fund Development Manager.

Presenting Sponsor, Augusta Sportswear has committed to matching every donation throughout the campaign up to $50,000, helping the W.H.E.N! Foundation reach and hopefully exceed the $100,000 goal. 

To start a fundraising team, or donate to the Everyone Plays® Challenge, visit bit.ly/EveryonePlaysChallenge

 About the AYSO W.H.E.N! Foundation

The AYSO W.H.E.N! Foundation is a new 501c3 born from the foundational tenets of the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) with the goal of bringing more physical activity, nutrition education, and wellness initiatives to communities across the nation. It’s goal is to bridge the gap between existing, youth-serving programs that highlight the pillars of Wellness, Health, Education, and Nutrition, and the youth who are in need of access. www.aysoWHEN.org