South Bronx United

On this Constitution and Citizenship Day we want to recognize the tremendous effort of the many new citizens in our community who have chosen to embrace the rights and responsibilities that our constitution enshrines. We also want to acknowledge the many dedicated professionals and partners whose advocacy ensures that the families we serve find a path to dignified, fulfilling lives in this country.

Speaking of rights and responsibilities, REMEMBER: you can register to vote in NY until October 26!

Discounted Early Bird tickets are available now for our 14th Annual Benefit at The Prince George Ballroom! Please join on Thursday, November 14 for our biggest fundraising event and celebration of the year! Our Annual Benefit helps fund South Bronx United’s work in the classroom and on the field for more than 1,700 children, young adults, and families. It will feature an open bar, an international menu from Relish Catering + Hospitality, live music, a silent auction, and raffle to accompany the evening’s program.

👉🏽 https://www.celebratesbu.com for tickets and more info! (Hit the link in our bio)

Can’t dampen our spirits! Our Fall Recreational Soccer season is officially underway, despite the rain, which definitely wasn’t adequately forecasted… Anyway, thank you to all of our community partners for sticking with us through the elements!

Our 11th Annual Health and Wellness Day is tomorrow, 9:00 am-1:00 pm. Free and open to the public with activities for the whole family!

Rec starts tomorrow! We cannot wait! As always, our Fall Recreational Soccer season starts with our annual Health and Wellness Day! Join us tomorrow 9:00 am-1:00 pm at Macombs Dam Park—we’ll have activities for the whole family, giveaways, and resources from our community partners!

Back to school today! No doubt, enthusiasm and anxiety abound in equal measure for those returning to the classroom. We wish all of you the clarity to see in yourselves the capacity to achieve all you want this year. We’re still reminiscing about all the fun we had in the classroom this summer… Thank you again, and

Congratulations, Freddy Villalva! Freddy started his SBU journey way back in middle school. As an athlete, a leader, an advocate for his community, Freddy’s growth has been an inspiration. He was selected for the BU19 Leadership Award in his senior year!

“I earned myself a spot on the team. I stayed competitive and as I got more experience as a player, teammate and student athlete, I learned how to pick myself up from losses and grow from them. Eventually, I earned the role as captain for my team. Through my experience as captain, I learned how important communication, leadership, and teamwork were to not only soccer, but in life.“

Freddy graduated from the Laboratory School of Finance & Technology, and will continue his education at BMCC!

Congratulations, Alexis Vazquez! Alexis excelled on the field as a fullback, and joined our Workforce Development Program in his senior year, working in the Clubhouse Café.

“With SBU, I have gained a lot of support both academically and sports-wise. And job-wise. SBU has helped me improve every day since joining. It has pushed me to keep going to reach my goals in life. I see SBU as my second family, knowing you have a team like SBU at your back is priceless.”

Alexis graduated from Mott Hall Bronx High School, and will continue his education at Lehman College!

Congratulations, Daniella Ramirez! Soft-spoken and supremely dedicated, Daniella was selected for the SBU Spirit Award for Commitment and the GU19 Scholar Athlete Award!

“Forensic science contributes to creating a more fair and equal judicial system, which I truly want to be a part of. Not only do I have a desire to participate in creating change through my work, I want to help break down the gender gap that continues to persist within STEM fields and advocate for other women who have the same desire to work in STEM.”

Daniella graduated from Cristo Rey New York High School, and will continue her education at John Jay College. We’re proud of you, Daniella!

Momentum has truly shifted towards the impending school year, but it feels like we still have so much left to share from this summer. We are especially grateful to whose generous support allowed us to expand and extend our summer camp, providing afternoon meals and activities for young athletes in the SBU Clubhouse!

Congratulations, Jared Palacios! Jared graduated from Morris Academy for Collaborative Studies, and will continue his education Mohawk Valley Community College!

“Over the past four years, my involvement with South Bronx United (SBU) has significantly shaped my personal growth and academic journey. I was first drawn to the program after hearing about it from one of my cousins about its soccer program, I found myself immersed in a community that helped me develop my athletic skills but also provided important support for my academics.”

Congratulations, Justin Moyado! In pushing himself to achieve his goals, Justin has often driven those around him to succeed too—man, is he driven 😮‍💨. He served as referee, then a coach in our Community Programs. He was selected for an internship with Blackrock through is work in the SBU Academy. And, he was named boys U19 MVP.

“This program has empowered me to become a more self-assured individual, both on and off the field. However the bonds and friendships I have made along the way have such a huge impact to this day, the bond I have with my teammates feels as a brotherhood where everyone is connected and is able to feel close to each other.”

Justin graduated from All Hallows, and will continue his education at the College of Mount Saint Vincent!

It’s been a busy summer. We got a bit behind on our Class of 2024 highlights, but we return with a truly bright one. Join us in congratulating Karen Moran! A dedicated and compassionate student-athlete, Karen graduated from A. Phillip Randolph Campus High School. She will continue her education at John Jay College!

“I want to break the generational cycle and be a part of the small percentage of Hispanics who have a college degree and a part of the even smaller percentage who have their masters... Moving forward, I want to be able to stand tall and make my parents proud having pursued my education. I want the sacrifices my parents have made, restless days, and sleepless nights to all be worth it.”

We’re proud of you Karen, and know that your family is too!

Trophy winners and impact champions. Thank you to all of our beautiful friends in football who joined us for Charity Cup yesterday! Please join us in congratulating:

Our Social Impact Winner OMSC, which raised $3000 and won a free season with NYC Footy! (Photo 2)

Footy Friends, our second highest fundraising team, winning a free season with NYC Footy! (Photo 3)

Our Competitive Division Winner oNeWorld, which triumphed over OMSC in the final, winning tickets to Gotham FC! (Photos 4-5)

Intermediate Division Winners Footy FC 914, who also went home with Gotham FC tickets (Photos 6-7)

Coed Division Winners and our third highest fundraising team FTP FC, which won a free season with NYC Footy and Gotham tickets! (Photos 1 & 8)

Thank you for helping to make this event possible Counting down to the next one 💙⚽️🎓

We are hosting a FREE Drop-In Arts & Soccer Program this Monday, August 19th through Tuesday, August 27th from 10am-12pm daily for children ages 6-12 at the SBU Clubhouse, 812 River Ave, Ste 3, Bronx, NY 10451.

To attend, you must complete this form:
https://forms.gle/3acDcfjRGD9r3Lj2A

We hope to see you there!

South Bronx United Drop-In Arts Activities South Bronx United will be running daily arts activities from Monday, Aug 19 - Tuesday, Aug 27 from 10am - 12pm for ages 5-12. This is a free drop-in program at the SBU Clubhouse, 814 River Ave, Ste 3, Bronx, NY 10451 coordinated by a local student running a curriculum as part of a school project. S...

The Greens! The Greens win it all this summer! We managed to squeeze our Color Cup Finals in between dowsings of rain. In truth, there wasn’t much that could have happened the field this afternoon to change the trophy’s destination. Green were worthy winners. Nevertheless, there were plenty of other triumphs.

We simply cannot adequately thank all of the educators and mentors who helped to make our 2024 Summer Soccer Scholars program such success. Thank you thank you thank you 🥹

The SBU Academy will now take just a couple weeks off before going again…

Summer Soccer Scholars Presentation Day! Already we have reached the culmination of our SBU Academy summer program. Over the last five weeks, student-athletes have spent their mornings in the classroom, working on many fun and challenging projects. They learned how to make their own short films with our friends from Take Two Media Initiative. Middle-schoolers learned about healthy relationships with our friends from Day One. High-schoolers were able to have important conversations about sexual heath and Making Proud Choices with our friends from Children’s Village. We were able to celebrate the results of all their hard work this morning with some special guests from the wider SBU community.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the presentations, and a special thank you to for their partnership in making this summer such a success! 💙⚽️🎓

South Bronx United X FC Barcelona Foundation. Part II.

We are proud to announce that the and are partnering with South Bronx United to expand crucial recreational and character development programming for children and young people in our chronically underserved community. South Bronx United shares many values with FC Barcelona (“Més que un club”) and its foundation. Like SBU, the Barca Foundation promotes sport as a tool for inclusion of vulnerable children and youth, particularly through the prevention of violence and providing access to health and education.

We were thrilled to welcome FC Barcelona President Joan Laporta, Barca Foundation Executive Director Dra. Marta Segú, and other members of the FC Barcelona Board of Directors to the SBU Clubhouse on Sunday. President Laporta spoke to several dozen young people sharing the mission of FC Barcelona, his goals for the partnership, and even his list of most respected Barcelona players of all-time. He then joined them on the mini-pitch. The group even stopped by SBU’s social enterprise Clubhouse Café.

The Barca Foundation is specifically supporting new projects this year, including the extension of our summer camp to reach more children for longer hours and a new afterschool program to bring together girls from various South Bronx middle schools through sports and workshops to promote female empowerment and social-emotional growth. We look forward to the continued work together in improving the lives of South Bronx youth!

Exciting news from the SBU Pre-Academy program this week! Pa Modou Fatty from our boys 2013 group officially signed with and will begin play with NYCFC’s Academy team next season! Pa Modou is the second player to move directly from SBU to the MLS Academy. Congratulations, Pa Modou, we’re so grateful to you and your family for your commitment to SBU, and we are proud to continue supporting you!

Thank you, as well, to and for the positive collaboration and open communication to ensure that Pa Modou was supported throughout the process 💙⚽️🎓

Chasing, chasing, chasing. Suddenly it’s August. What? Just one more week of Summer Camp. Then, the we start it all again. Thank you to all the families who have joined on the field over the last few weeks!

More Summer Soccer Scholars field trips from last week took high school students for a college tour at Lehman College and middle school students to the Bronx Zoo.

Thank you for the partnership.

Hard to believe we are already in our penultimate week of Summer Soccer Scholars! Hard work in the classroom and on the field this week!

Congratulations, Jesus Hernandez! Jesus is a fierce teammate and constant student-athlete. He was awarded the SBU Spirit Award and the team Scholar Athlete award in his senior year with the boys U19 group!

“When I first returned from Mexico, I questioned whether I belonged, feeling different and out of place among my peers due to the language barrier. This was all new for me and my first days being a student in the United States was hard. I was determined to find a solution and made learning the English language a priority. As you know, sports have a way of bringing people together and allowing them to find a sense of belonging. Soccer became the answer in my journey to improve my English and break the cultural barriers that stood in my way.”

Jesus graduated from the Academy for Scholarship and Entrepreneurship, and will continue his studies at Lehman College! Congratulations, Jesus, we’re so proud of you!

Congratulations, Alanny Gonzalez! There simply isn’t space here to account for all that Alanny accomplished at SBU. Most recently, Alanny was part of our first ever Workforce Development cohort, then she received the SBU Leadership Award as captain of the GU19 team.

“With the support of SBU I have accomplished many things, and now they are helping me attain a college education this fall. No words can describe the amount of gratitude I have for their help, they made me realize I’m made for more than I thought I was capable of. They have pushed me through every step these last five years. They want to see me do good in life just like my family, so I continue to push myself to do good in my studies. SBU mended my relationship with soccer, it became a passion, an escape from reality if you will.”

Alanny graduated from St. Jean Baptiste High School. She continues her education at College of Mount Saint Vincent, where she intends to study psychology. Congratulations, Alanny, we’re so proud of you and grateful for your leadership and commitment to SBU! 💙

Congratulations, Ashley Flores! Ashley has always been a strong advocate for her friends and teammates. She is a motivated student with a keen interest in justice. Ashely graduated from Cathedral High School and will continue her education at John Jay College!

Summer Camp smiles 😎 We hope everyone is staying safe and hydrated. Registration is still open for our Summer Camp sessions through August 9. Hit the link in our bio to join us on the field!

Hard to beat riding a surrey pedal car on a summer day on Governor’s Island!

Yesterday, our Summer Soccer Scholars took the ferry to the island for their first Friday field trip. Exploration, mini golf, biking, food, sports, and picturesque city views. Week two starts Monday.

SBU Fam, we continue to work with our friends at Communities Speak to encourage you to make your voice heard by our city's government. Please please please take just a few minutes for this survey, which will help our leaders understand what our community needs!
👇
https://sipacolumbia.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2rvziZdKsIrLDxk?source=B

🗣️Want a voice in New York City’s policies? Take the Communities Speak survey now (link below!) to share your and your family's current needs. The findings will be shared with city leadership and local organizations to assist City officials in targeting resources for communities in need. All responses are anonymous. Questions? DM us or visit the Communities Speak website at www.communitiesspeakproject.com.


Take our survey now!!!!!
https://sipacolumbia.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2rvziZdKsIrLDxk?source=C

Congratulations, Edwin Duran! For as long as we’ve known him Edwin’s integrity and work ethic have been his differentiating strengths. We were proud to have him as part of our first ever workforce development cohort last year.

“My mother was born in El Salvador and grew up in poverty, which did not allow her to achieve a higher education since she had to work to provide for her family. My mother came to the United States 20 years ago and made immense sacrifices to raise me and my brother. I want to make these sacrifices worth it for her.”

Edwin graduated from Cristo Rey New York High School and will continue his education at Manhattan College! We’re proud of you Edwin, and know that your family is too!