Colorado Springs: City’s Sports Office teams up with the Police Department and SCHEELS to keep kids kicking

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~ The Colorado Springs Police Department and SCHEELS have joined forces to provide 1,450 soccer players registered with the City's sports office this spring with their own soccer ball. Throughout March, officers will be visiting practice locations citywide to deliver the balls and spend time with the kids.

This is part of the police department's PlayCOS initiative, which is now in its third season. Since 2021, PlayCOS has hosted 73 events, donated to 21 schools, three community centers and has created more than 28,000 positive police/community interactions through sport.

Sgt. Jason Newton of the Colorado Springs Police Department said: "This is exactly how 8-year-olds should be meeting police officers – on a soccer field, kicking a ball around. It's been awesome to see the smiles on these kids' faces when we visit a practice site. What the kids might not realize, though, is the immensely positive impact they're having on the visiting officer. It's so beneficial for these officers to have these positive experiences out in our community."

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The giveaway was funded by SCHEELS and officers are volunteering their time to participate in it. Additionally, local families are benefiting from an Olympic City USA program that waived registration fees for the first 460 kids who registered to play City soccer this spring. Since 2021, more than 1,900 kids have played sports for free in Colorado Springs due to generous grants and donations from various organizations such as The Daniels Fund and The Schuck Foundation.

Filed Under: Government, City

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