The Williams YMCA of Avery County, through a partnership with the Mitchell County Recreation Department, reached the local Latino community with a day of fun and competition on Saturday, June 25 during the “Score a Goal Against COVID” rapid soccer tournament.
The free tournament was held at Gouge Elementary from 2-4 p.m. on June 25. Attendees also received information about COVID and flu vaccines, tests and other community health resources.
The YMCA strives to serve marginalized communities, especially Latinos. More than a year ago, the YMCA partnered with the Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) to add a full-time position focused on helping local Latinos receive education, opportunities and resources to safely navigate the pandemic.
“A piece of this work is gathering the community in a caring, safe location and tying services to interests to ensure participation,” said Williams YMCA Mitchell County Liaison Katie Willett.
Williams YMCA community health worker Rosendo Lopez Gale came up with the idea— “Metele un gol al COVID” which translates to “Score a goal against COVID.”
“The main objective was to bring together the Latino community of Yancey and Mitchell counties with a sport that they are passionate about,” Willett said.
Teams registered ahead of time and were comprised of friends, families, coworkers, organizations and businesses.
Local community partners were on hand to share bilingual community health and wellness resources.
The event reinforced the YMCA’s mission statement of putting Christian principles into practice through programs that built a healthy spirit, mind and body for all, Willett said. There is an Avery County tournament set for July 16 with the same goals.
“Events such as these ensure that all people in our community feel welcome, included and cared for,” Willett added.
The Mitchell County Recreation Department was instrumental in ironing out the logistics of the event. Director Brock Duncan and his team prepared the field space at Gouge, set up goals and prepared the proper event markings.
“It’s truly a pleasure to work alongside the Williams YMCA for this event,” Duncan said. “We care about everyone in our community and we want them all to have the resources to be healthy and have fun. Events like this bring the community together unlike anything else.”