The Power of Sports Beyond Competition | America Scores Cleveland

[0:16]  Welcome back to another episode here on the Heart and Hustle podcast with Miss Allison Black. How you doing today, ma'am?

[0:22]  I'm doing great. How are you?

[0:24]  I am amazing. It's Friday for us here, at least for us recording. For those may be watching, maybe a different day, but any exciting plans for the weekend.

[0:32]  Uh, you know, it's the long weekend,

[0:34]  Memorial weekend.

[0:35]  Memorial weekend. Uh, my whole staff is off today to make up for working last weekend. So, no, I think it's just relax and actually catch up a little bit.

[0:45]  All right. What What does relaxing look like? Actually, outside of leadership, outside of the corporate world, are you in the garden? Are you swimming? What are you doing?

[0:53]  Oh my gosh. Uh, well, I hang out with my 5-year-old who brings Okay. comedic relief at all times to our house. Uh I go to dance classes during the school year. I go to a tap class which I think is a fun little adult joy that

[1:10]  you know that is so crazy you said that you're the second person this week that told me that. So I asked her I actually asked her Monday and I said hey what do you do this weekend or I don't know. She said tell me it was relaxing. I said how was your weekend? She said relaxing. I said oh great. Well what did you do to relax? And she says, "Well, I went to a dance recital and um you know, jazz." I'm like, "Oh, okay. You got kids?" She's like, "Oh, no, me." And I'm like, "Yeah." She's like, "Yeah, I used to love dancing and you know, it just keeps me now kind of active and and you just don't lose it. You know, it's like riding a bike." And I'm like, "You know what? I'm going to go find me something to do as an adult that I just always wanted to do." So, how long you've been doing that?

[1:48]  So, I danced as a kid. So, I did tap. This is like a very similar story. I'm sure I did dance my whole like life for from eight and on.

[1:56]  And then my friend was like, "You need to come do this adult class." Like there's not It's pretty low bar. Like I mean I hopefully my tap teacher doesn't hear this,

[2:05]  you know, but like she's like, "It's fun. It's, you know, it's just like a social hour, but there's also some dancing in there." So I mean I think I've been in this adult class at least 10 years.

[2:18]  Um

[2:19]  really. So yeah, it's like a it's become its own little club of people.

[2:24]  That's so cool. No, I I was telling a friend this, you know, after I heard that he I said, "We got to find like a hobby, something that just keeps us What is that thing that when you were a kid, he's like, "Hey, I wanted to try it and maybe you didn't have the funds or the resources, whatever that is, let's try it." So, hey, tap dancing. Okay. All right. All right. You know what's interest um I was at this event where like people across Cleveland artists especially like creative arts, literary arts authors, and this woman stood up to read like an excerpt from her book and she talked about she was never allowed to do ballet as a kid and she took a ballet class at 70. So I think too like as adults we have to remember sometimes we we're not going to do the things we did as a kid but other times like why not? Like it made me I was like what did I want to do as a kid that I was never allowed? I gotta think about it because I might go find something.

[3:15]  I'm still thinking about it. You know, actually the one thing I want to do and you're probably going to just like you I don't know what you're going to feel. I'll tell you. I'll tell you. I want to do wrestling. Okay. I love wrestling. Like WWE wrestling. And I say I'm I'm I'm invested. I have a whole business around it. I need to go feel what it looks like to run the ropes. Maybe take a little, you know, back bump. And who knows, maybe I enjoy the pain so much that I I would, you know, take this on even further. You never know.

[3:40]  I'm so young.

[3:41]  But, you know, if you want to still support that, not to give another plug, but another nonprofit, Beat the Streets,

[3:47]  also has some national network. You should go check them out. They're wrestling for kids.

[3:51]  Really? Is that in Cleveland as well?

[3:53]  There is one in Cleveland. So, I, you know, I'll shout out my my friend Demetrius there. So,

[3:58]  I would have to check it out. I've never heard of it, but I I would definitely love to check it out. But, let's start. What? Let's kind of uh go there. What are you doing in Cleveland? What is the organization that you're running? What is your your title?

[4:07]  Yeah, so uh I am running uh Cleveland scores or some people know it as America Scores Cleveland. We've gone through a slight name change to see one to be very local but also as a national affiliation uh to say like we're scores and we're the scores network because we have some Canadian cities in there and when you're from Canada, you know, you're not America. Um, so I'm the executive director of Cleveland Scores and we're doing some after school program here and we're very unique. We're not just a soccer program. As see people see my logo, they see soccer, but we're actually a soccer literacy uh after school youth development program. So two days a week the kids go to soccer. Two days a week the kids are going to um their literacy component which is split between two curriculums, a poetry curriculum and then a service learning curriculum. So yeah, that's what we're doing over here in Cleveland. It's actually school ends next week. So, we are like we just finished out the school year. Um, and then we're running summer program. We flip in two weeks and we'll be in the summer, which is crazy to think about.

[5:05]  And how long you've been doing this?

[5:06]  So, I've been the executive director four years. I've been with scores actually I've been the executive director about four and a half years and I've been with scores almost seven years total. So, um, you know, it is it's crazy to think about how long I've been here when I think about all my other work in Cleveland to be like, oh, like I've actually I think co maybe messed some of that up to feel like it hasn't been that long and then I think like, oh, I've been here long.

[5:33]  What um what got you to scores? Like it was just wanted to do something different or you mentioned co was just kind of co changed up uh what you were doing?

[5:41]  No, it was precoid. So, actually I was a school social worker. um in Cleveland schools and I had you know so I have a background in mental health social work I have my masters in that so I had moved to Cleveland got my my masters and was like I'm going to be a school social worker but I was very interested in the community aspect in schools so you know I got this school social work certification but what I really wanted to do was be a social worker who worked solely in schools thinking about schools as a hub for communities so that's what I was doing for about six years um as a school social worker I I also done some like mental health like a therapist in one of the Cleveland schools and then I just you know you kind of it's that direct practice the dayto-day and I started thinking what's next like I love being a social worker but also I'm ready for like another leadership role and so I started thinking and so I moved to scores actually because scores was one of the very first programs we brought to my school for after school. Uh people all over Cleveland were like, "You need to just go talk to the former executive director. Get get her over in your school." And so I I did a lot of begging. Um it helped that my principal at the time had been in DC so she knew our affiliate DC scores. So there was some, you know, but you know, it really just it when I went and Debbie, who was the former executive director here, was my mentor for a long time. Like I really trusted her. I had talked to her a lot about like leadership development, what I needed next in addition to my c my boss at the time was really big on like you need to go do some fundraising if you want to move into the nonprofit leadership space. And so, you know, Debbie gave me a chance. I had never fundraised, but I knew how to build community. I had brought a lot of resources into the school. And so, Debbie was like, "Come on over." And she was a great mentor. And then when she was ready to move on, you know, she, you know, tagged me to the board and I applied and here I am. But it, you know, it's just a weird I think sometimes people think school social workers just stay in the school forever, but I, you know, I I was ready for something different and ready to kind of still stay in schools, but not in a very different way.

[7:47]  I hear you. I always say I could work with kind of the school system, but not for the school system. You know what I mean? I want to work with them, not for them.

[7:56]  Um, and I can imagine we all know we have all reasons why, but um, pretty cool. pretty cool kind of journey on how you you got here as well. You said you had a 5-year-old.

[8:05]  I do have a 5-year-old.

[8:06]  So, I'm trying to figure out how are you running an organization? You tapping out here. You're running because I have a two and a five. I mean, I have two. You have one. It's probably a little easier, but uh it's work, especially a 5-year-old. They're always on go. What What are you doing to kind of just

[8:21]  Yeah.

[8:22]  simmer down when you're not uh so busy? I have, you know, I have to say I have to my husband's going to laugh so hard that I say this on in live. Uh I really have a great husband, right? That I think non people don't realize how much nonprofit leaders also get pulled.

[8:39]  You you have to be in the community, at least in Cleveland, right? Like Cleveland is a city of who you know.

[8:44]  Um it's a city of you have to kind of be front and center at all times with the right people. And so I have a great board who will be like you need to come to this event or last night I was at this I mentioned to you before we started recording I was at this event or I mentioned earlier like the literary arts and so of course I need to be there. Scores is a poetry soccer organization. So if there's going to be the best writers in Cleveland in a room I probably should you know be there. So

[9:12]  absolutely. So I think sometimes people forget non especially nonprofit and executive directors and the fundraising people their jobs aren't nineto-ive and so you have to have a good partnership and so I'm very I actually am a really good about when I'm not at work I'm not at work so I'm very meticulous like if it is the weekend and we are not you know I'm not we're not a crisis response we're we're after school which is important but none of my staff if they're especially if we're not working on a weekend it is my time with my family so I try to really make that important and not make it bleed. When I come home and my day is ended, whether that be a 5:00 day or an 8:00 day, it's like I really do try to shut down um the extra stuff because if I if we don't, people will take advantage of I mean there's always 50 million things to do as I like look around my desk and I look at all the not like all the things I haven't done this week and I'm like I could keep working but I have to leave. I you know I said I was going to leave at a certain time and I need to leave. I'm not always the best at that when I'm in the office trying to check off to-dos, but I feel like once I'm home, I'm like, "All right, this is especially it's my five-year-old's time, right?" Like that's important to make sure.

[10:22]  Um I had to travel a lot recently, so

[10:26]  that was, you know, just a whole another realm of okay, I have to be really I also have to know when to say no. Uh also not always the best at it, but I'm getting better to say like is that worth my time right now? But yeah, that I mean five-year-olds will keep you kids will keep you like on your toes at all times. So

[10:42]  for sure. Oh yeah. Believe me, the two and a five defin keep you on my toes. But what you mentioned as well are just being present a lot at different events. Like I I don't think I I didn't realize that you really just got to show up just kind of show face, right? And um I would say last week kind of school ending. I can imagine probably a little busier for you as well. So I'm just like at event after event after event at the school and I'm like, "Oh my god, I didn't realize how much things are going." But it's like they like, "Oh, you don't got to show up." And I'm like, "But I do." Right? Like, especially when you're building, it's like, "But I do." Even if it's just for a little bit. I got to you kind of show face, say a little story. I feel like in organizations, we sell stories. So, we got to just kind of throw in a little bit of what's happening and, you know, some of the changes or some of the things that we're working on, right? We

[11:27]  People don't know what they don't know. So, we got to make sure we're spreading the word every single time, you know? So, that's cool. with fundraising. What are some of the things that you learned from fundraising? You just kind of mentioned um that world that was kind of so new to you.

[11:39]  Yeah. I mean, it's interesting because I think I was very nervous to be a fundraiser. I just remember right before I applied for the job, I kept thinking like, uh, do I really want to fund raise? And then I realize it's kind of what you already do, right? Like it's you're building relationships with people. You're, you know, I'm really passionate about scores. I hope that comes off that you know like and it's really just talking about why it's so important and getting people to care and you know so I I feel like fundraising I was a little surprised that it's just more relationship building. There's also there's always the grant writing and I always tell people give me a day a really rough day and I'll tell you I'll just be a grant writer where I have to talk to no one. Um you know but for the most part I like talking to people. I like going I like being part of the community and so I I think I was more surprised just how much my personality already lends to fundraising and like you get when you get the wins when you get the funds you're so excited but I also was not prepared for when you don't get the money how sad right like it's not a reflection of me as a person but sometimes you have to

[12:45]  think like oh my gosh like could I have said this better should I have asked that question and you know so that's hard and you just have to constantly I think I have to constantly remind myself like when we don't get a grant or when we don't get a funding thing it's not because what we're doing isn't important it's they've changed path or there's no money or you know so but yeah it's like the personal but then you get so excited for the wins you know just right before I went on this call I got a call from one of our sponsors and she like confirmed her sponsorship for an event I was like you just made my day like just

[13:19]  that's why that's why you showed up with all this energy Yeah, I know. I know. I just got like confirmed, but it was like you made my day and now I hit I hit our goal. We have an event in two weeks and we're at our sponsorship goal and I was sitting here today going I don't know if we're going to make the goal. Like we're kind of at this stretch. Uh so we're doing it's called one night one goal. So essentially we have kind of six of our POT athletes will come. They'll perform a very traditional kind of silent auction, but we have a a WKYC is our media sponsor, which is a local news station here. And so one of their anchors, CIA, will be there. And so people like it just cuz like the kids come up, they're very bubbly, right? The kids are super excited, but they're performing in a much smaller, but they feel very important because they've been picked. So they all performed in November and then we pick kind of the top individuals from that event to get to come to this event. So they feel like it's like a very special event for them and it is special for them. But it's a fundraising event for us.

[14:22]  I love it. Is this a yearly something that you guys do yearly or?

[14:24]  We do this one every other year because in the odd years we actually do an event which I think is everybody's favorite event. It's called inspired art. So professional local artists create artwork based on poems. the kids have written. And so it is it's a lot of work. You know, when people go just do that one every year, I'm like, this is a lot. We also ask artists to donate work. And you know, you don't want to ask the artist community every year to donate a piece of artwork. They're, you know, they're spending time on it, but they're also giving us work that could be sold. And so, you know, it's not our kids perform, you know, doing artwork. These are, you know, professional artists who rely on the income. And they're amazing. they donate it even during COVID when we offered like hey we know this might be you know co was hard on artists and we said you know we'll even pay like if you would want pay and not a single artist took that up um so it's a really it's at an art studio people come you feel you know because it's at an art studio but the poem the kids perform in front of their artworks you get to see both so obviously it's everybody's favorite event because it's very different but it definitely we do it in the off year so that's our every other year and then this one night, one goal kind of fills the gap when we're not doing inspired art.

[15:40]  So, would summer camp be a little similar to what you guys are doing, I guess, throughout the school year where they're still experiencing the soccer and the lit literacy and all these different components.

[15:48]  Um, for the most part, they're just doing soccer. So, what we do, we partner with community partners. So, let's say, um, I'm trying to think of one of our like a neighborhood center who's doing school age day like summer care. So, kids are out of school, they're going to this basically a daycare. Um, and then we'll come in and do the soccer components for them. We just find kids in the summer, one, they're d they're more droin. It's really hard to get kids to show up consistently unless they're in these like centers and most of them just want to play and they're already doing all these other academic components. So, we typically just do soccer, but we're actually running for the first time ever. We've never run our own camps, but we're doing our own oneweek camp in partnership with Black Players for Change. So, Black Players for Change is through the Major League Soccer and they, you know, Justin Marorrow, who's a Cleveland native, uh, we've worked through with him and he's like, I really want to do this in leadup. World Cup is coming. So, I don't know if people know that in America that the World Cup is will be here soon. Um, but you know, it was this like let's get kids in Cleveland even though World Cup is not here. Let's get them excited. Let's do soccer. So, we picked a week that there's just no programming. When you look across the city, no one's running program the first week of June, but the entire your biggest school district's out of school. That camp will do soccer. And then we weaved literacy in because we're like, well, if we're sponsoring a camp, you got to do some literacy. So, we're going to have some local poets, some, you know, they're both, you know, a couple local poets who are very established here in Cleveland will come out and perform and teach the kids. The kids will get books every single day, which I, you know, we're very big on summer reading. Uh, and then we'll have a couple like some professional athletes will be out there, college, local, semipro. So, that's our c that camp will have some literacy, but summer is pretty low-key around here.

[17:45]  Yeah. No, it seems like you guys are going to be That's just that week in general. That's a lot uh going on. So, talk about soccer. I do not watch soccer, of course. I I actually didn't even know where so where the um World Cup is going to be. So, is it in New is in New York, right?

[18:00]  It is all across. It's in Canada, the United States, and No, the final is in New York. So, you have that one down. That's the final game.

[18:08]  There's something in New York. Okay. Okay. Good. So,

[18:09]  there's 48 teams.

[18:11]  Okay. Okay. So, see, I don't know. I'm learning. You're teaching me right now. All I know was Allison was that I was um invited to a um a FIFA creators fest in Los Angeles with other creators around the football and different brands. That's all I know about it and I said yes to it for the opportunity of working, you know, whatever. But then also recently I got a I do a lot of content creation around wrestling. Wrestling is my thing. So kind of in that sports category. We did a axe, the body spray axe and a FIFA collaboration. I did a little commercial with my wife on that. like just kind of social commercial, but uh I know nothing about football, but these opportunities around FIFA and what they really bring, you know, to just creators like me is cool. So, you talking about it, you said FIFA, I'm like, that's that's all I know that they're, you know, these opportunities are coming. So, I'm pretty sure I'll learn more as I go. But, it seems like, are you a soccer advocate? Not just do you work for a soccer organization and love soccer or what does that look like?

[19:05]  Uh, yes and no. Um, I've been forced to love soccer, right? Yeah. Well, first of all, I have to shout out FIFA because they are one of our funders and so they've been a very generous funer, you know, World Cup.

[19:19]  We're not a World Cup city less around World Cup. They've been a funer of ours preWorld Cup and

[19:24]  Wow.

[19:25]  Um, so I have to shout them out. So have fun because yeah, the World Cup is going to be crazy. Like

[19:33]  I can imagine that's Yes. I'm in Orlando. So when they said I will have to fly my way out there, right? but they'll give us uh two passes to experience it. I said I can't give up that experience, right? So, I fly I happen to fly free. Um I would just have a hotel, you know, whatever that cost me and some food and yeah, I'm going to go en enjoy myself. So,

[19:51]  maybe I'll have to look. You'll have to tell me which game because we also have score. So, because we're a part of a national network or international network, the cities that scores are in a lot of our kids will be walking players out before the game.

[20:04]  So, that's a big deal. like that, you know, that is across every city is going to have these kid mascots. They walk they get to walk the players out for every game. That's a very big soccer thing where they walk I mean like I didn't really understand it but I just went to Morocco and get got to see this like really cool youth being walked out and I was like oh I get it now right and I've worked here seven years but it was like you just get it's just a very different soccer thing that you don't see in any other US sport world. Um me and soccer. So I played at the age of five, promptly retired. Uh I was not very good. So but my brother played all through college like really or most of his college career. Okay.

[20:52]  And so my whole life cuz he's my older brother, I was like the little sister that gets like dragged, you know, to every soccer game. You're like that sibling that's like in the background rolling in the dirt, right? Like but I I grew up around the sport of soccer. My brother played he had two coaches from Argentina. So like they were intense. So that was my world. Like my world was soccer. I left. I never thought I would come to this right to be here. But I think when I when scores came to the schools and I got to see like what it means to bring sport to kids who maybe don't have the opportunity or don't have the space for any other sport. So the school I worked at had no basketball, right? There was no basketball hoops. It was a huge black top and it was like what sport can kids do to keep them active to show them to how to be part of a team? You know, all these little components that sport do for kids and the only thing that really made sense was soccer because it was like all you needed was a ball. Like I I have seen our coaches set up chairs for goals. Um, I've seen kids put sticks in the ground when they're doing pickup games. I mean, soccer is this is why it's a world sport. You don't need anything else. You can just run out on a field, you need a ball.

[22:09]  Um, and so I think that is what kind of tipped me. I care deeply about kids and having other opportunity. Like schools are great. Like we need strong school systems. Like that is not to say the schools aren't important. But I also think what gets kids to school is what you offer them after school. And it also ensures they show up to school. Like attendance is linked directly to when you give kids after school opportunities and also when you expose them early cuz you know you wait till sixth or seventh grade for a kid. Soccer is a harder sport the older you get and if you've never had a single sport in your background, you're less likely to try a sport. So, you know, there was a lot of factors. So, I'm really passionate and like I'm forced to like soccer. My development manager, people will go, "What team do you follow?" I follow no team. Like,

[22:59]  I follow I'm like the scores kids, my child playing in the community soccer league. Like, you know, I'm excited to follow the US teams. I'm excited for the World Cup. It's a big, you know, these are big players. They're like, you know, some of these players have more followers than any other player in the world, you know. So,

[23:17]  yeah. No, for sure. I I'm I'm It's pretty kind of cool just how you got kind of back into this world of like you could care less about it, but I guess you actually love it a little bit, you know, like you got kind of have a lovehate here. Uh I think there's a lot of love though. Um what is your brother thinking about it knowing that you're doing this? I think my brother my brother laughs because I'm like the least coordinated. Like I'm coordinated in my dance and like right like but soccer no not my thing but I always tell people because we're more than soccer it actually makes sense right like we are a youth development first and foremost. So, my background in mental health and social work, my background in understanding the community, being able to fundra, you know, as a nonprofit leader is huge and and I have great staff. Like, my soccer manager is amazing. Like, he's like, he knows how to work with the kids and he knows the sport of soccer. And so, I don't need to know soccer, right? Like, I need to know the basics. Um, my staff don't let me ref. I'm an awful referee because I don't catch anything. and they'll be like, "That was a like Alison that was in the box." And I'm like, "I don't know." Uh, so, you know, I know my strengths, right? It's part of being a leader. You know your strengths and you know your gaps and then you just find the right people that do it for you. Uh, but no, I mean like that I have good staff that like confirm like that get our soccer component. I have staff that also don't play soccer, but they're heavy on curriculum and writing like because we have to have both strong components. So, so yeah, I think that's probably the best way to say it.

[24:51]  A good mix. I've never I think at last time I spoke to you, my daughter did soccer, but it was just going out there just playing soccer, you know, a couple of weeks and what is. But to be able that lit literacy and and the books and still being able to say, hey, we care about sports, but we also care about academics, right? It's not picking one over the other. Pretty cool. Um, and you said this is throughout like all states or through our country or

[25:15]  13. There's 13 cities, so I could try to list them all. I think I'll miss some, but um in

[25:21]  I'm count you out. I'm count you out.

[25:24]  All right, you're gonna count me out. Oh my gosh. All right, let's go. I'll try.

[25:26]  13. So, let's see if you got 13.

[25:28]  Let's start. DC is our original and our founder. All right, so there's DC. Boston is our flag, right? They would say the flagship because it was the second. Now, the rest will not be in order. New York, Miami, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Chicago, St. Louis,

[25:48]  LA, Seattle,

[25:50]  10 of

[25:51]  Bay Area.

[25:52]  Yep.

[25:54]  Vancouver, Toronto.

[25:55]  There you go. You got all 13.

[25:57]  All right.

[25:57]  There you go. You're pretty good. See, you doubt yourself. You got 13 of them.

[26:01]  I was like, I'm gonna miss.

[26:03]  Yeah, I know. I was like,

[26:05]  my luck. And then one of those executive directors would be like, really? You missed me. Yep. Probably.

[26:10]  No, we got all 13. No, that's cool. And then you guys have a relationship where you guys still um talk to all each other, all directors.

[26:16]  Yeah. So, we all have our own nonprofit status. So, a little bit different than what some people are used to when you have like a national or a bigger model, but we all meet. So, the executive directors meet once every month to three three to four weeks out. Our like fundraisers all meet to talk about all of us do similar fundraising events. and then the program staff meet to make sure people are holding to the curriculum. So, our third, fourth, and fifth grade curriculum in all 13 cities, you should be able to walk into a school and know that they're doing that three approach, service learning, soccer, poetry with that age group. So, like the 8 to 10 year olds. Um, everything else is up to us as a city. So Cleveland is a pre-K through 8ighth grade school model and our schools, you know, we we're doing third, fourth, and fifth. And our schools were like, we also need you in the younger space. So we expanded down first and second. Um, and then we have middle school programming, but it's not it doesn't follow the full year model because middle school here in Cleveland, they don't need us in the fall. But I think that's allowed, right? like the network, as long as you're holding true to mission and the content and the evidence-based curriculum, then everything else is kind of just the extras of what your community needs. And so that's, you know, not everybody does summer programming and that's okay because it just depends on capacity and funding. But here in Cleveland, we know and we have the capacity and we have the network and the community partnerships. So, so yeah, it's like a fun It's great because you have support. You know, just earlier today I was talking to our Milwaukee executive director about something. We all do a scores cup event which is a soccer tournament. Local companies, this is our other fundraiser. But, you know, local companies put a team in and then they play soccer for a day, but we across the entire network, everybody does a scores cup.

[28:06]  So,

[28:07]  I love it. I mean, you guys are doing some um definitely some amazing things that I've never even heard of. So hopefully those that are watching and listening have definitely gathered some stuff. Where can people find more information as we start to wrap this up, Allison? Like what's the you guys on socials? Anything like that?

[28:19]  We got lots of socials. So our website is clevelandscores.org. So Cleveland spelled out scores with the you know it's plural.org. Um we're on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook. I would say those three. I think we have a X account but it's not always as up to date. Uh, we always tell people go like if you want all of our good content, go to Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook.

[28:43]  Yeah.

[28:43]  I don't know if anyone's on X. I don't know. It's like

[28:46]  I don't even call it X. I do. Call it X is pretty good. Actually, I still call

[28:49]  I was I was trying. I had to really stop and try to call it the right name. Um,

[28:54]  but yeah, I mean, Cleveland scores or, you know, you can go to the scores network and see all the cities if you're really interested or if somebody sees this and they're like, "Hey, she listed my city." Like, please, you know, go check out it's, you know, the scores.org or as well. Um, but yeah, we're, you know, we're pretty much posting and we're, you know, our social media guides to kids, community funders, so it depends what you're looking for, but you can always find it.

[29:21]  And who know, just to say, can someone donate on the website?

[29:24]  Yeah. Oh, yeah. We will always take donations. And actually, this is perfect timing because World Giving Football Day is Tuesday, May 26th. So, this coming Tuesday. So across the world, people are doing this almost like a giving Tuesday, but it's all around the sport of soccer. It's spearheaded by common goal. Um, so people, this is perfect timing. If you're listening or if it's after May, I don't know when this will air, but you know, World Giving Day for soccer is Tuesday.

[29:52]  You can give any day. Don't don't think it's just Tuesday. Give

[29:55]  Not just any day. Any day, but we have a really cool opportunity. Columbus crew is matching it right now. So that's why I was like, "Oh, I need to plug that."

[30:02]  Oh, yeah. Um, Columbus Crew is one of our major league teams here in Ohio. We are not in Columbus, we're here in Cleveland, but they are also sponsoring our kids to go to Boston. So, our we have six kids going to Boston to participate in a similar to a World Cup style um event around the World Cup in Boston. And so, that's just been a really exciting partnership that we've had. And so, yeah, we're excited and to get these kids to Boston in July. So, yeah, anytime people hear this, they can donate. Go to the website, you can donate. It's right there. But, um, yeah, some of this right now is just the World Cup is coming, so we're trying to be,

[30:38]  you know, as excited about it as everybody else.

[30:41]  Well, listen, I really appreciate the time today of you giving us insight about scores, more about scores. I definitely got to learn a lot. Pretty sure those that are watching or listening got to learn a lot. Um, also just your leadership, just being able to also take an adult can also take a after school program. How about that? If they want to, right? Or after school class, not so much a program. We don't have time for a program, but a class maybe. Yeah. Um Allison, we thank you. For those that are watching, make sure you guys do like, subscribe, and comment. These are the conversations that we have with leaders that are just like you. I mean, we're all human at the end of the day. We are leading organizations. It may be some tough times for others, but remembering to stay positive, remembering the why, remembering to just have fun while you're doing it. I'm Era. This is Allison. We'll catch you on the next one. Latest.