On the heels of the World Cup, cops, teens and at-risk kids kicked-off two weeks of intensive soccer at this year's fourth annual "Kick, Lead and Dream" camp this week.
In addition to the yearly summer camp, "Kick, Lead and Dream" will soon be offering soccer picnics every few months at local parks. At Mountain View High School, "Kick, Lead and Dream" has become a formal student club, and other schools will likely follow suit, according to the city of Mountain View Police Department.
Volunteer coaches are 14- to 17-year-old soccer stars from local schools, and campers are at-risk 8- to 15-year-old local boys and girls.
This year's camp has grown dramatically since its first year, hosting over 70 coaches and 220 campers. In its first year, the camp hosted five coaches and 25 campers.
In addition to teaching soccer skills, the program also aims to instill basic values of leadership, teamwork and integrity into the campers.
Speakers at this year's camp include players from the San Jose Earthquakes, Super Bowl champion Keith Moody and former Ghana soccer team player George Lamptey, among others.
The camp is a collaborative effort among the Mountain View Police Activities League, the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety and the Mountain View Los Altos Soccer Club.
The camp, held at Cherry Chase School in Sunnyvale, began on July 26 and will conclude on Aug. 6 with a final scrimmage and formal awards ceremony.
World Cup Camp Comes to the South Bay
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