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We wanted to give something substantial back to the city. So, we made a commitment that over the next four years we would donate over $150,000 to the city to be used exclusively for improvements to the Harlingen Soccer Complex for youth sports.
HARLINGEN — The young soccer player positions himself for just a moment then runs in a swift curve toward the ball.
A thud, a kick, a snap, and the ball shoots through the hot mid-afternoon sun toward the player guarding the goal line.
The San Benito Greyhound Soccer Team was practicing full throttle through the aggressive heat Tuesday at the Harlingen Soccer Complex. It was a clean field, spreading out across many acres. While the vitality and the energy of the players seemed oblivious to the heat, they acknowledged the need for shaded bleachers and water fountains.
“I feel that it would be a good addition to this complex because the sun is usually heating on this place,” said Gavin Mendoza, 15. “That way people won’t be overheating.”
Such is the cause now taken up by the Rotary Club of Harlingen, which is using its Centennial Gala on Saturday to raise money for the improvements, said Rotary Club President Joseph Albury.
“We wanted to give something substantial back to the city,” Albury said. “So, we made a commitment that over the next four years we would donate over $150,000 to the city to be used exclusively for improvements to the Harlingen Soccer Complex for youth sports.”
If you’d like to help donate to the project, come to the Gala at the Harlingen Convention Center for a 1920s — themed evening of “dancing, food, booze, raffle opportunities. It will be a fun night of live music,” Albury said.
“Think of Gatsby — Roaring Twenties,” Albury said with excitement.
And then, with more seriousness, added, “Our keynote speaker will be State Sen. Morgan LaMantia. We’re going to be honoring our ‘Rotarian of the Century’ which is the late Frank Boggus who was a member of our club for 67 years. Over two thirds of our history, Mr. Boggus was a member of our club.”
The Rotary is celebrating 100 years of service to the community. In its long history, it has supported landmark projects such as the first city library and bleachers at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Harlingen.
The event will also present the inaugural “Juan & Connie Salas Award” to its namesake, Connie Salas. That award will be presented each year to couples who have collectively dedicated years of service to Harlingen.
In the remembering and the honoring of selfless service to Harlingen, it is no surprise that, while recognizing those service projects, the Rotary will also begin raising funds for a new service — in this case the much-needed improvements to the soccer complex.
“We’re going to be putting in shaded bleachers out there for the fields, because if you go out there right now there’s no shade,” Albury said. “You can go out there on a Saturday morning and there are 3,000 people out there, no shade structures, no seats.”
Of equal concern is the need for greater access to water.
“We’re committed to adding more water stations out there, because right now you have all those fields and there’s one water fountain,” Albury said. “We’re supplementing the one that’s there right now with one that’s refrigerated water. You can put your water bottle up to it and fill it with cold water. Then, in addition to that, we’re adding non-refrigerated but still a water station more toward the center in between fields. That way the kids don’t have to walk all the way back if they forgot their water.”
That’s precisely what Gavin wants.
“Sometimes, guys don’t bring water,” he said. “So just in case, they’ll know that they have water here. They know that they have shade.”
Plus, nearby shade will mean fewer mandatory breaks.
“Most of the time, we have to take breaks and we don’t want to do that,” Gavin said. “We want to be training all the time. This way we don’t have to be taking longer time on breaks and we can train longer.”
Albury said the project will be completed in phases over the next four years and will include making the field more accessible to those using walkers and wheelchairs, this with the purpose of ensuring senior citizens can see their grandchildren in action on the soccer field.
Individual tickets to Saturday’s event are $100. Sponsorships run from $500 all the way to $15,000. And of course, people can just make a private donation.
For more information about tickets, sponsorships and the event itself, see the following website: rotaryhrl.org.