Click here to read about registration, the league calendar, volunteering, or fundraising.
2009 Registration
In-person sign-ups are done, but VIP players can still register! The easiest way to sign up is to go online first; fill out the form (be sure to choose Region 305 and check VIP), print two copies, sign those and mail them to Concord AYSO, P.O. Box 1061, Concord CA 94522.
The web site might say that the fee is something other than $75. Ignore that. The web site doesn't take payment anyway; you have to mail in the signed copies with your check. So go all the way through, print & sign your forms, and send them with $75 to the p.o. box. Make sure the VIP checkbox is highlighted or circled or something so it doesn't get missed.
If you can't sign up online, then contact me (Pete) to request a paper registration form by mail. Scholarship players must get an additional form from me, then send that in with either the online form printouts or the paper registration. Any way you sign up: When you do, please tell me about it, so I can look for the paperwork; and, tell me what size uniform your player will need this season.
2009 VIP Calendar
- Team-by-team parent preseason meetings:
- Gaughan: Wednesday 8 July, 6:30, at Pete's house.
- Campos: Tuesday 9 July, 6:30, at Jorge's house.
- Nunes: tbd?
- Satterfield: tbd?
- Rosenblum: tbd?
- Halliday: tbd?
- Robinson: tbd?
- VIP Volunteer Training: July 11 or July 25; all coaches, assistants, and buddies should plan on attending one of these two sessions. Please RSVP for one of these; if there's nobody signed up for a session, the class will be cancelled. The July 25 session is back-to-back with a regular clinic for new coaches, it's a great opportunity for new coaches or assistants to get training both in soccer and in VIP specifically all on one day.
- Town hall meeting for all soccer parents: August 1.
- Paint VIP fields: August 3.
- Practices start: August 5 or 8.
- Opening Day (first opponent games): September 12.
- Picture Day: September 27.
- Soccerfest: party October 10, tournament October 11.
- Last VIP game: October 24.
- Snack shack to raise scholarship funds: October 31.
- National Games: We're considering whether to take our VIP players to the AYSO National Games in Palm Beach, Florida, July 4-10, 2010.
Volunteering
There are lots of ways to help make sure VIP soccer is available and gets better and better; please sign up! Just call Pete at 925-330-1733:
Coaches
It doesn't take any experience to coach (or "assistant coach"!) VIP kids, just a positive attitude and a willingness to jog a little. We train you!
Buddies
We need people to help players one-on-one on the field. Being a "buddy" is a great way for teens to pitch in (and earn credit for their school's Public Service Academy or Community Service program), and it's especially fun for college students who are studying to work with children, disabled or not.
You can help recruit more buddies! Post or pass out our flyer (Word version, PDF format) wherever teens and young adults might see it!
Soccerfest
Someone has to communicate with the Soccerfest planners in other areas, and also be the mediator for the various Concord folks who have specific duties like referees or food. This tournament just needs a "captain." We also need parents to ask businesses for donations of money, food, first-aid supplies, and things like plates and such.
Other volunteer opportunities
- Contact businesses for sponsorships
- Help with the snack shack for October
- Organize Opening Day snacks & equipment
- Be the new VIP coordinator—yes, we very much need someone to take on this job. I'll still be around to help and advise and train, but I just can't coach and also coordinate.
Fundraising
Raised so far in 2009: $2650!!!
The VIP program tries to provide a full scholarship for every player who might not play without one. This is even more crucial in these tough times; we expect as many as 1/3 of our players will request scholarships this season. To go beyond our usual budget and meet the needs of all disabled children, we're taking on a couple of new efforts:
- We'll be conducting snack shack sales at local soccer tournaments. We raised $450 at Concord Cup in May! We'll have another sale at the Concord regional tournament on October 31. To volunteer, call Randi Andrus at 925-381-0659.
- We're asking VIP parents to contact businesses seeking grants and sponsorships. We've already received a grant from the Safeway Foundation and expect more soon from Chevron and from John Wiley & Sons Publishing. What company can you solicit? Does your employer have a grant program, or even a matching-donation policy? If you have an idea about a business to contact, please call Pete at 925-330-1733.
VIP Families Need Help
Mikey and Melody Malbeouf
The Malbeouf family is one of our VIP own: both Mikey and Melody played with our youngest team, and parents Mike and Yuri were active volunteers for several years. Since Mike's death, Yuri and the kids are in need of a lot of help, and we're a community that can provide that.
The family was profiled in a Chronicle article about Medi-Cal here. Also, VIP parent Steven Greenwell has been very excellent about providing a formalized structure for financial help to Yuri and her children. He has arranged for a special needs trust in Melody and Mikey's name, which has tax benefits and protections and enables Yuri to draw on it for their financial needs. You can read about that on this web page.
Their home was foreclosed; the biggest need is to help them find stable housing. If you can help, please send checks to:
Charles Schwab
PO Box 52114
Phoenix AZ 85072-2114
specifying...
The Malboeuf Family Special Needs Trust
Acct # 5455-9971
Gaby Sierra
Gaby was on the youngest team last year, the Grasshoppers; she was the only wheelchairs user in the program. She had some seizures over the winter that landed her in Children's Hospital Oakland. (You can read about how she's doing here.) She's ready to come home now, BUT: the family had to move in the midst of all this, and the new house isn't as accessible as the old one: they need a wheelchair ramp at her new home.
Gaby's mom Nicole is really close. She has gotten a great price on the materials and donations of design work and of construction help. But she's still a little short—less than $500 away from what she needs. If you can contribute, please call one of Gaby's aunties, Geneva Johnson 925-305-5099 or Carol Davis 925-752-0966; or simply donate to Chase Bank's "Gabriella Sierra Fund," account # 495-171835-8.
VIP Soccerfest 2008
THANK YOU to everyone who helped put on Soccerfest!
Cathy Corum spent the day of the tournament taking candid photos of all the games (it's a large PDF file).
2009 Soccerfest will be the weekend of October 10 and 11.
