OL Reign Celebrates Black Future Co-op Fund as Nationwide Community Partner
The National Women’s Soccer League has partnered with Nationwide for a season-long, community-focused initiative that will promote community partners and local service projects chosen and led by each NWSL club, called the Nationwide Community Impact Award. The first annual Nationwide Impact Award will be presented at a postseason ceremony where one club and its partner will be recognized for their exemplary commitment off the field and receive a $20,000 prize from Nationwide. Each club has also designated a player ambassador to champion the effort. For OL Reign, that player is midfielder Dani Weatherholt.
OL Reign’s appreciation match, which recognizes their community partner, was this past Sunday, September 26. OL Reign’s community partner is the Black Future Co-op Fund, an organization that has been partnered with OL Reign since the Black Future Co-op started in 2020. Nationwide will be making a $2,500 donation to the Black Future Co-op Fund as part of the Community Impact Program.
The Black Future Co-op Fund, founded by Andrea Caupain Sanderson, Angela Jones, J.D., Michelle Merriweather, and T’wina Nobles, is Washington’s first cooperative philanthropy by and for Black Washingtonians. The mission is to ignite Black generational health, wealth, and well-being across the state. The organization is a new paradigm for the philanthropy, built by and for Black Washingtonians.
OL Reign and the Black Future Co-op first began their partnership in 2020, when the club played on behalf of the organization during the 2020 NWSL Fall Series, during which it raised more than $15,000 for the organization and has only grown from there. For the 2021 season, OL Reign has worn jerseys the feature the Black Future Co-op Fund, front and center on both the primary and secondary jerseys. Earlier this season, the Black Future Co-op Fund architects were recognized as OL Reign Legends.
“Our relationship and partnership with OL Reign has not just benefitted the Black Future Co-op Fund, but the community. This past weekend, I had an interview with a radio show. The host was at the game, watching the doubleheader and saw our name on jersey and so she wanted to interview us and get to know the team that was featured on kit of OL Reign, so I had the opportunity to tell her our story and now that story is going to go to all of her listeners,” said Nobles.
She continued, “Beyond that, our relationship with OL Reign has been very inspirational. In fact, I remember the first game I attended this season with my daughter. Our video started playing on the big screen and I stood up at the end and started clapping and others started clapping and my daughter wanted me to sit down. I explained to her how much of an inspiration and benefit it is for this community to be able to see who the Black Future Co-op Fund is, particularly in this space that is continuing to diversify and is doing a pretty good job getting there and for young people to see themselves represented in a space where they may not always see themselves.”
The Black Future Co-op Fund collects and distributes funds to Black-led organizations, like Greentrike in Tacoma, which provides critical inclusive and expanded programming to students across Tacoma.
“I am so excited that the Black Future Co-op Fund gets to support Expanded Learning Opportunities for students here in Tacoma,” said Nobles. “It’s important to support Black-led organizations because we know fewer than three percent of philanthropic dollars in this country are going to Black-led and Black-serving organization. So, the Black Future Co-op Fund has an opportunity to support a program in our community that has a Black leader and is supporting students of color, which is what Greentrike is doing and we are thrilled. It’s a tremendous opportunity for the Black Future Co-op Fund.”
Program Manager of the Expanded Learning Opportunities, Fahren Johnson, said, “The Expanded Learning Program is an opportunity to provide all students with fun, engaging, culturally responsive, social-emotional learning infused programming that centers around putting caring adults and young people in a space together to tap into their purpose, passion and interests. Our program really focuses on our most vulnerable students in the community.”
“The Expanded Learning Opportunities is not just a club; it is equity work. We make sure that we put a priority on those who have been marginalized for years. We have our foster kids, kids with special needs, BIPOC, kids who are experiencing homelessness or in transition and kids who are just trying to figure out how to walk strong and become. Our students impacted by the biggest opportunity gap. This space allows them to be able to come in and be who they are and be comfortable, and see people like them,” added Johnson.
“The biggest and most important piece of this, is it takes a team to do this work. The funding from the Black Future Co-op Fund allowed me to get skilled, talented and passionate staff in the space and provide consistency with our young people. Our young people are coming out of trauma. They are coming out of stops and bumpiness and all types of things, so having a consistent person in the space is so important and the funding has directly helped us to do that,” explained Johnson.
Johnson believes that for the kids in the Expanded Learning Opportunities program, the future has never been brighter thanks to funds that the Black Future Co-op Fund has provided to Greentrike. The funds allow the program to really cultivate a space where caring adults and youth can connect.
“I want them to feel like they are always welcome to come back to this space, in any capacity that they want. I want young people to grow up strong knowing that life isn’t easy. There are going to be challenges, but when you have a good support system, you’re going to be fine, even though it might be choppy for a while. Because of the resources that the Black Future Co-op fund has provided, the future is going to be really great our young people and I’m excited to stay in partnership and keep the work moving,” said Johnson.
OL Reign is proud to partner with the Black Future Co-op Fund to join efforts in shifting the paradigm of philanthropy and working to support local organizations that are making a positive impact in our community.
OL Reign would also like to extend a special thanks to Nationwide for supporting our community partner and efforts to make a positive impact in the community, on and off the field.