OL Reign Celebrates Latinx Heritage Month with Community Partners
September 15th marked the start of Latinx Heritage Month* - a month that is deeply important to OL Reign and its community to celebrate. This month, which runs through October 15th, honors and celebrates the identity of Latinx Americans, as well as the importance of their culture and contributions the United States. For OL Reign, part of this month's celebration includes collaborating with partners in the community.
The Reign continues their longstanding partnership with Intentionalist for Latinx Heritage Month, which encourages supporters to shop at Latinx-owned small businesses to spend like it matters. OL Reign is also proud to partner with Good Play America Foundation, a local non-profit organization focused on empowering youth through soccer and giving back to children in Colombia through donation, education and sport.
This partnership, forged by OL Reign Associate General Manager Santiago Gallo, debuted at OL Reign’s match at Lumen Field on September 6, where the organization was educating fans, sharing their culture, as well as collecting soccer cleats to donate to children in Colombia.
“I first met Santi at a festival celebrating Colombian culture, where Good Play America had a booth,” said Alejandro Henao, Founder of Good Play America. “We talked about soccer and Colombia, and it really grew from there. The two organizations have a lot of shared values that allow us to come together to help give back to the children in Colombia, encourage sustainability and share our culture.”
As an organization strongly led by their values, OL Reign is committed to connecting with the communities around them and giving back, as well as celebrating diverse identities. To Gallo, Latinx Heritage Month, as well as the Reign’s partnership with Good Play America, is a great beginning.
“It’s very important for us to celebrate Latinx Heritage Month because we have people that represent this community and are very valuable to the organization. Our cleaning crew, grounds people, front office staff and first team employees and players bring to us the joy and contributions this community bring to this country and raise the voice to all whose voices cannot be heard,” said Gallo.
He continued, "Good Play America has been doing things in Colombia that reflect the values the OL Reign has here. For me as a Colombian, bringing back to the country is very important to help with the development of the game over there.”
As OL Reign continues to develop its partnership with Good Play America, fans are encouraged to learn more about supporting the organization.
“There are so many different ways to become a part of Good Play America. Knowing we exist and supporting this relationship between the United States and Colombia is an important start. Fans can also donate their used soccer cleats, taste our coffee or wear one of our t-shirts. This partnership is all about community and celebrating our culture,” said Henao.
Learn more about Intentionalist and Good Play America today by visiting their websites and join OL Reign in celebrating Latinx culture throughout the entire month and beyond!
*Latinx is a gender-neutral term used in the United States to describe people of Latin American cultural or ethnic identity. Members of OL Reign’s Latinx community designated Latinx as the term that best represents their identity.