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Program Profiles
PROFILE Chanalee
CHICAGO
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Growing up, Chanalee believed that her family only consisted of the people directly related to her. That is, until she joined SCORES. “SCORES taught me that there was family outside of relatives and that I could trust and depend on my coaches and teammates.” Now a coach in her community, she works hard to mentor and instill leadership in the next generation of poet-athletes!
After winning the Red Carpet Poetry Slam in 5th grade with her piece “Wings on my Back”, she traveled to New York City with Coach Amy and Coach Dean for the National Poetry Slam. Although she was excited to be a part of this event, she was sad that she wouldn’t be home for her birthday. However, when they got to New York, Coach Amy and Coach Dean surprised her with a big birthday cake! “It was such a genuine act,” Chanalee said. “In that moment I realized I could trust them. It sparked something inside of me that made me want to stick with SCORES for the rest of my life, and I still feel that way.”
In addition to going to the National Poetry Slam, Chanalee was also awarded a scholarship to the Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academy through SCORES. Coach Dean drove her to the camp where she had her first truly diverse experience.
Chanalee has been coaching at C.E. Hughes Elementary School for two years now. She loves
being a coach with SCORES and wants her kids to know that she cares about them and that they can trust and depend on her, just as she did with her coaches growing up. The SCORES alumnae is excited to start each day knowing that she is helping the next generation of poet-athletes grow and take advantage of the world of opportunities that exist for them.
Leadership
Chanalee America SCORES Chicago
The Boston SCORES high school program has been around for almost four years. In that time, the program has grown from 15 freshmen boys from East Boston practicing informally, to over 100 student-athletes from all over the city playing competitively on six different teams. In addition to representing Boston SCORES on soccer fields all over eastern Massachusetts, our high school student-athletes also participate in a wide range of off-the-field activities, such as college visits, professional development workshops, and community service projects.
Staff at Boston SCORES are especially proud of the under-19 boys team, most of whom are playing in their third season with SCORES, and who won their division in Boston Area Youth Soccer (BAYS) last spring. The Boston SCORES high school teams play competitively in BAYS through a partnership with South End Soccer. Having won the BAYS division, they were awarded a berth in the Massachusetts Tournament of Champions (MTOC). The team eventually won the tournament after beating Topsfield on penalties.
Outside of their efforts on the field, the under 19 South End Soccer/Boston SCORES boys team also did some amazing work in their communities. They volunteered at the Greater Boston Food Bank, spent a day at Fidelity Investments for one-on-one success coaching sessions, visited Brandeis University and Northeastern University, refereed games for the Boston SCORES elementary and middle school leagues, and participated in a series of One Hen-inspired financial literacy workshops.
PROFILE South End
BOSTON
PROFILE Coach Deborah
VANCOUVER
Deborah Butowski moved to British Columbia in 1996 and found her passion. She dedicated her career to working with children and families of Edmonds Community School in Burnaby, British Columbia. Her commitment and love for the community is evident. Deborah admits, however, that although she finds her work fun and rewarding and the families are usually gracious, there are challenges.
Deborah recognized the need for a Canada SCORES program at Edmonds Community School. “The Canada SCORES program gives all kids the opportunity to achieve success, gain self-esteem, feel happiness and make friends,” says Deborah. She challenged herself and began coaching four years ago. Today, many kids relate to her and some even confide in her.
Each and every day Deborah is excited to see them grow. Some poet-athletes have kept in touch with Deborah. These students acknowledge how invaluable of a person Coach Deborah has been in helping them on their journey.
The most memorable moment for Deborah is traveling with the kids to see the Vancouver Whitecaps play live. It was a dream that she and the students were able to experience together.
To better relate to the kids, Deborah says that you have to keep it real. Nowadays you need to talk smart, use their language and match their level. She also knows that it is also important to praise kids and show them encouragement.