Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes and MLS W.O.R.K.S. Partnering for July 4 Tribute to Wounded Troops
Major League Soccer’s Community Outreach Program Selects Nation’s Largest Nonprofit Helping Severely Wounded Troops
Ossining, NY – June 26, 2007 – The Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes (CSAH), a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping severely wounded veterans and their families rebuild their lives, today announced a partnership with MLS W.O.R.K.S.,Major League Soccer’s first leaguewide community wide outreach initiative dedicated toaddressing important social issues affecting young people.
The partnership calls for teams in several markets to pay tribute to wounded troops at their home games the week of July 1, 2007. Dozens of wounded troops from peration Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, plus CSAH national spokespeople, will attend six MLS games that week where they will be honored for their sacrifices. CSAH public service announcements featuring D.C. United midfielder and 2006 MLS All Star Josh Gros will air in each stadium. The partnership will also feature online auctions thatwill raise money for CSAH programs.
“Our partnership with MLS W.O.R.K.S. is a huge opportunity for us to reach the
thousands of soccer fans across the nation to raise awareness about the needs of our returning wounded troops and their families,” commented Ray Clifford, executive directorfor CSAH. “We are grateful to Major League Soccer for their support, proud of theircommitment to our severely wounded service members and excited about the future of this partnership.”
12 out of the 13 MLS teams will participate in the campaign (the 13 th team has a byeweek and is not playing that week). Six teams from both the Eastern and Western Conferences will host games: Colorado Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park, Houston Dynamo at Robertson Stadium, Kansas City Wizardsat Arrowhead Stadium, Los Angeles Galaxy at Home Depot Center and Real Salt Lake at RiceEccles Stadium.
“MLS W.O.R.K.S. is thrilled to partner with the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes,” said JoAnn Neale, Executive Vice President of Major League Soccer. “MLS teams and players are committed to raising awareness about the needs of our returning wounded troops and their loved ones.”
MLS W.O.R.K.S. serves as a platform for both league and team philanthropic programs.Specific areas of focus include health and wellness, education, respect, fair play, leadership, human rights and diversity.
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Now in its 12 th season, Major League Soccer is the premier professional soccer league in the United States and features stars from the United States and around the globe.Major League Soccer’s national television partners are ABC/ESPN, Univision, Fox Soccer Channel/Fox Sports en Español and HDNet. The 13 teams in MLS are: the Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, Chivas USA, Columbus Crew, D.C. United, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, Kansas City Wizards, Los Angeles Galaxy, New York Red Bulls, New England Revolution, Real Salt Lake and Toronto FC. For more information about MLS, log on to the League’s official Web site at www.MLSnet.com.
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