Here at COTW, we found that people, traveling, sports, adventures, and community are the staples that impact who we are.
Life is about philanthropy, or known in Latin, Serviam (to serve others). Serving others has been the groundwork for organizations that have inspired COTW. Although you may not be friends or agree with everyone, you should respect everyone. This the mantra that we live by. A mantra that we learned through being apart of a soccer team. Each member of the team must learn to serve and respect one another to achieve a common goal. There is a deep comfort in knowing that no matter what, someone has your back. This support has continued past our playing days and we’ve seen it begin with new friends and communities.
The power of sports bring communities together, regardless of race, gender, or creed.
Here at COTW, futbol was our first love. It has been the most constant and inspirational factor of our lives. The best part about playing sports is the support, friendships, and community you build from the team. When we realized that not everyone gets to experience this type of community, we knew that we wanted to help.
Growing up, we were fortunate to attend schools recognized for academics and athletics. It was never a question to attend school nor play sports. It was expected that we played and excelled at both. For us, soccer was our sport. It allowed us to understand our physical, emotional, and spiritual self-worth. It gave us an opportunity to experience something greater than ourselves. Many teammates would go on to play at the collegiate, professional and even international level representing their country. Some won NCAA titles, and others were able to play in the World Cups. For us, this felt normal. Now, we realize this is not normal. A small privileged percentage of people in the world get those opportunities. We're very fortunate to be apart of such an incredible community. It was and still is a formative part of our lives.
We have experienced first hand the opportunities given simply because where we grew up. But what about the other million children that did not grow up as fortunate as us? Futbol has allowed and will continue to allow COTW to experience life in amazing ways. If we can help others have similar opportunities and experiences, why not try? Being involved in sports helps kids grow in so many ways.
The vision for COTW is not to help every kid become a professional athlete. The vision is to help share the experience of the community of a team, to instill the value of being active, being involved, having ambition, striving for a goal, and helping others along the way.