TOPSoccer Kicks Off Seventh Season at Penn State Behrend
On
Wednesday, March 21, the seventh season of TOPSoccer began at Penn
State Behrend. The Junker Center was the site for the
community-based program aimed at giving special needs children the
opportunity to learn and play soccer. The program was created
by Penn State Behrend soccer coaches Dan Perritano and Patrick
O'Driscoll in 2001. In the first year the program began with
12 players, but has seen substantial growth over the years.
This year, 61 children will participate over the eight weeks of the
program.
Perritano said, "The response from the special needs community and
the Behrend community has been outstanding. We would not be
able to continue accommodating so many without the support of all
our volunteers and the Behrend athletic department."
This year volunteers come from the men's and women's soccer teams as
well as student-athletes from women's basketball, track and field,
women's volleyball, women's water polo, and other Behrend students.
The program which runs every Wednesday from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m., pairs
a volunteer with a special needs child. Each week the children
participate in basic soccer skills and small sided games as well as
other activities. Other features of the program are the
sibling swim program, a speaker series for parents of special needs
children, and the end-of-season awards ceremony and pizza party.
Coach O'Driscoll said, "The main focus of TOPSoccer is to give
the participants a chance to be active and hopefully learn a bit
about soccer. The real reward is the experience for all
involved and the special relationship that often forms between the participant and
volunteer coach."
Both Perritano and O'Driscoll also credited TOPSoccer sponsors the
East Erie Kiwanis Club and the Sertoma Club of Erie. In
addition to helping fund the speaker series and awards ceremony, the
support of the sponsoring organizations also helps to provide a
T-shirt and soccer ball for each participant.
"The help provided by our generous sponsors has allowed TOPSoccer to
grow into a quality program that makes a difference in the special
needs community," said Perritano.
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