Gaga for Sports in Utica, Rome
by Robert Mitchell
Salvation Army gymnasiums in Utica and Rome, N.Y., will be full of life soon after a $15,468 grant from the Edwin J. Wadas Foundation to buy new sports equipment.
The two corps in upstate New York are betting that sports programming will create a gateway to the church, where young people can learn discipline, teamwork, perseverance, and the love of Christ.
“It’s been a great way to connect with the community and bring families into the corps,” said Captain Kelly Ross of The Salvation Army in Utica. “We’ve been able to connect quite a few of youth to the corps.”
Ross said the funding will enhance existing youth programs with new equipment. The corps offers music, dance, and the arts on Tuesdays; an open gym on Wednesdays featuring basketball, floor hockey, and soccer; and “Baking Through the Bible” on Thursdays.
“The money we received is going to enhance our open gym,” she said, including the purchase of an inflatable gaga ball pit (used for a friendlier version of dodgeball) and some other sports equipment.
Captain Theodore Tressler said The Salvation Army in Rome plans to offer volleyball and pickleball in the hopes of increasing their youth numbers. He called the grant a “huge blessing” and hopes programming can begin in the next few months.
“It’s a door that has been opened,” Tressler said. “It’s a huge opportunity to engage the youth in our community by not only having fun, but by improving their physical fitness and building relationships with youth we haven’t even met.”
Tressler said the corps plans to reach out to local schools to invite youth and he is pursuing a grant to hire a program assistant. He eventually hopes to get them into the corps, where Salvation Army youth programs can address their “body, mind, and spirit.”
“We are thankful for the funding at our Rome and Utica Salvation Army sites to grow our youth programs through the new sports equipment,” said Major Kevin Stoops, the commander of The Salvation Army’s Empire State Division. “This includes volleyball, pickleball, and gaga ball to offer more options for our youth at no cost.”
The Edwin J. Wadas Foundation, based in New York Mills and founded by a youth sports advocate, says its mission is to “enhance experiences for youths ages 5–18 who participate in athletics in Oneida and Herkimer Counties.”
“Recreational play is important to the development of youth,” said Victoria Cataldo, the foundation’s executive director. “It can help develop physical, social, cognitive, and emotional skills. After school and drop-in programs provide an arena for physical activity as well as learning valuable life skills and an opportunity to build positive relationships.”
To learn more about the free youth programs offered by The Salvation Army, go to easternusa.salvationarmy.org/greater-new-york/youth-services-1.
To learn more about the Edwin J. Wadas Foundation, visit wadasfoundation.org.
