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Houghton Soccer offers thanks

To the editor:

The Houghton High School Club Soccer team would like to publicly thank the Portage Health Foundation for their generous support of our team.   This fall, our team received a grant of $2358 from the Small Grants Fund from the Portage Health Foundation, which has helped the team purchase nets, mesh jerseys, agility poles, captain bands, coach dry erase boards, and practice and game balls which were vital to the success of our second year’s season.  

Houghton Club Soccer provides opportunities for Varsity and Junior Varsity athletes to play competitive soccer. The club is funded with participation fees and fundraising done by the athletes. The receipt of this grant had a big impact on our ability to provide high-level training for our athletes.

We have faced many challenges this season as we have constantly reacted to the Covid crisis, but what shone brightly was the resiliency of our team.  We learned how to practice with new safety protocols and we learned how to respect the needs of others, including wearing masks while playing.  We also learned that we are capable of overcoming challenges to work together as a team through obstacles not of our making, even playing our last game on a field covered in snow! 

The team finished their season on Saturday, October 24, 2020, with a 4-4 tie against Copper Country Christian School, bringing the season record to 1-1-3 for Varsity and 1-1-1 for Junior Varsity. With the stressors our students faced in 2020, including students switching to online learning and disruptions to their physical and emotional well-being, participation in a team sport that allowed physical outdoor exercise and social interactions was especially important. 

The Portage Health Foundation supports so many incredible community focused grants, including the COVID-19 Community Recovery Fund (particularly free Wi-Fi Hotspots and Donations to Local Schools of over $428,000), educational scholarships for local high school seniors, the PHF Food Initiative which partners with groups such as 31 Backpacks, Feeding America, and the Western UP Food Bank, and provides many other small grants and scholarships to support community health.  In 2018, PHF initiated the management of the Houghton County Flood Relief Fund.

Please consider donating to the Portage Health Foundation this year, as they truly keep our dollars in the local community!  Go to phfgive.org to do so.

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