CROWN TRACE Football Club, a beacon of light in the community of Enterprise, Chaguanas, is seeking the assistance of kind-hearted citizens in their drive to raise $100,000 towards the purchase of a team bus.
The club has been, and continues to be a ray of hope for many of the youths in the community, with many of its graduates going on to become productive members of society either through a career in football at the professional level or as a member of one of the country's national security agencies.
However, the recent upsurge in criminal activities within the community has placed a damper on the club's continued success as many of its young members have become fearful about journeying from their homes to the club's training facility.
To combat this dilemma, Crown Trace has launched an initiative titled “Drive Me Safely to My Dream”. The aim of the initiative is to raise the required funds to purchase a bus for the club, which will be used to transport its members to and from their homes safely.
Technical Director Nicholas Griffith said the club is hoping it can raise the $100,000 required by getting 100 persons to donate $1,000 each. “We are appealing to corporate Trinidad and Tobago, State agencies and citizens to make a positive and worthwhile contribution to the young men and women of the club, who despite having the odds stacked against them, are still willing to achieve their dreams of becoming a model citizen and a success.”
Griffith said that while the crime rate in the community continues to sky-rocket, together with a host of other illicit behaviours, Crown Trace Football Club is still committed to making every effort to save the younger generation from falling victims to such vicious activities.
“Despite the dismal atmosphere in the community, there are a bunch of passionate youths who have positive desires, ambitions and dreams to become purposeful. “Our motto is 'Saving Generations of Youths' and that has been working successfully in this at-risk community for the past nine years by using football as a vehicle to create positive changes in the lives of young men and women, and therefore we want to continue on this journey of being an agent of positive change.
“Our continued hard work with these youngsters would not only help change the image of Enterprise, but the nation as a whole since crime affects everyone,” Griffith said.
Crown Trace Football Club have made an impact locally and internationally, having competed at the Disney International Soccer Cup in Orlando, Florida over the past two years. In their tournament debut last year they won the under-19 division and followed it up with a third place finish in the under-17 division this year.
The club also won the FIFA World prize for exceptional social work within a community in the 2014 Power of Football contest. Persons wishing to make a contribution can do so at the club's First Citizens Bank account (#2280236) or can contact the club at 682-6901.