Compton, CA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 04/20/2010 -- On Wednesday at the White House, the President and First Lady will honor the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams that competed in the 2010 Vancouver games. In 2010, 225 athletes won 37 Olympic medals and 13 Paralympic medals, including 9 gold medals.
In the audience at the White House will be Mike Herman, the Founder and President of Compton United Soccer Club. Compton United seeks to use the international sport of soccer to and the resources of US Soccer, develop a new generation of leaders who excel in all aspects of life: mentally, physically, socially, spiritually, and emotionally, to ultimately help develop urban communities into a model of social, economic and spiritual transformation.
Herman is one of ten youth sports leaders from around the country who was invited to the White House through Up2Us, a national coalition of 400 organizations leading the movement to use sports to address critical issues facing youth-- issues like childhood obesity and academic failure. Up2Us is working to assure that one day, all youth, regardless of socioeconomic background, have the opportunity to be engaged by sports that teach them the values and skills that help them achieve goals on the field and in life.
Herman and his wife, Tonya have lived and served in Compton for fifteen years and remain passionate about urban youth development. They founded Compton United Soccer Club to use soccer for social change and helping Compton live up to its full potential. As the program develops soccer players into top level competitors they are granted opportunities not normally afforded to youth from a community such as Compton. Through Compton United's “Five Stages of Development” (Athletic, Academic, Character, and Leadership Development, for the ultimate goal of Community Development), these urban athletes are grown into college recruits, college graduates, great parents and spouses and business and community leaders.
At Wednesday's ceremony, President and Mrs. Obama are also expected to promote the Let's Move campaign to end childhood obesity. One of the main components of this campaign is an effort to increase opportunities for physical activity for youth. By inviting Mike Herman and the fellow youth sports leaders in the Up2Us coalition to Wednesday's event, the White House has demonstrated that the cooperation of grassroots sports organizations is essential in the fight against childhood obesity.
For Herman, a visit to the White House to meet the U.S. Olympic team is an opportunity to demonstrate to the youth he serves that hard work and smart decisions will help them achieve their goals-- the same kind of hard work and smart decisions that led to Olympic success in Vancouver.
Editor's note: During Wednesday's event, Herman will document his experience and is willing to share footage and stories with news outlets.
Contact Mike Herman at mike.herman@comptonunited.org to learn more.
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