In the first month of the new year, Sounders FC’s social impact efforts were back in full force!
Temperance and Good Citizenship Day
First up was our celebration of Temperance and Good Citizenship Day, in support of our voting efforts. We believe that every person, voting in every election, every time is necessary for change. In line with this belief, Temperance and Good Citizenship Day is an annual day for students to learn how to be civically engaged and have an in-class opportunity to sign up and be automatically registered to vote when they become eligible.
To mark the occasion, we teamed up with the Washington Department of the Secretary of State and OL Reign to answer questions about Washington’s Future Voter program. The Future Voter program allows qualified 16- and 17-year-olds to sign up to be automatically registered to vote when they become eligible.
We compiled videos from Sounders FC alumni Brad Evans and Lamar Neagle, as well as OL Reign’s Sam Hiatt and Tziarra King, to answer common questions about the Future Voter program, for Washington high school students.
To learn more about the Future Voter program, visit sos.wa.gov.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Just three days later, we joined our partners at the Northwest African American Museum (NAAM) for their celebration of King Day! Our partnership and collaboration with NAAM aligns with promises in our Sounders FC Social Justice Framework, which states that we will act in support of inclusion, tolerance and justice in our community, as well as use our platform to elevate organizations and experts, and to listen to those voices.
On King Day, alongside RAVE Foundation, we activated another installment of the Books & Balls program. Started in 2021, the Books & Balls program provides children's books, by Black authors or illustrators, that center Black characters, to local youth. Alongside the book, each child receives a brand-new, high-quality soccer ball, that allows them the opportunity to play. Paired with RAVE's commitment to removing barriers to play, the Books and Balls initiative is a simple yet powerful way to further equity in our region. At NAAM’s King Day celebration, Sounders FC and RAVE Foundation staff distributed over 200 books and balls to youth.
