NORRISTOWN — An impassioned plea from a parent of a Norristown youth football player calling on elected officials to step in and help fundraising to get the local team to national competition in Florida was answered on Tuesday.
Almyra Taylor, of Norristown, opted for a “Hail Mary” play as she approached the podium during Tuesday’s Norristown Municipal Council meeting, imploring council members to help the Norristown Youth Athletic Association 10U Bengals get to nationals.
“I am here on behalf of these children right here,” Taylor said, adding “we need help from Norristown to get these kids to Florida. They deserve it. They’ve come this far. We need y’all.”
“We need y’all help to get these kids to Florida. We’re trying to keep these kids off the streets and out of trouble. This is where y’all come in at,” Taylor said.
The children were seated in the audience as the municipality’s elected officials heard her cry. Council members responded and publicly offered to contribute thousands of dollars in discretionary funds to the team’s travel fund. Approximate monies amounted to around $15,000, a municipal spokesperson said Wednesday. An online fundraising campaign had raised $5,625 as of Tuesday, bringing the team to within $5,000 its goal.
The Norristown area team in its first season of play became Pop Warner League Eastern Region Champions after besting the Cicero Falcons, of Onondaga County, New York, on Nov. 23. Around 20 fourth and fifth graders are hoping to compete in the Pop Warner National Championship, which will take place from Dec. 7 to Dec. 14 in Orlando.
“We’re trying to keep them off the streets. We’re trying to keep them out of trouble,” Taylor said. “This is the way to do it. This is a first-time organization. We need Norristown’s help to get these kids to Florida.”
The Norristown Youth Athletic Association was launched this year to provide sports opportunities for children ages 5-to-13 years old using a model of a “feeder program” to get them ready for high school sports, NYAA Vice President Mao Howell said in an April interview with The Times Herald. Howell and NYAA President Ingrid Parker serve together on the Norristown Area School Board. Parker, the board’s vice president, gave a shout-out to the players during last week’s school board meeting.
“They’re so excited. They are feeling like they want to bring home that national championship trophy to NASD,” Parker said.
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Fundraising efforts ramped up quickly for the youth sports organization, who need to raise at least $25,000. An online fundraising campaign was set up by Parker on Oct. 31 and had netted $5,625 in donations as of Tuesday night. Parker added the “NYAA 10U Bengals: Road to Pop Warner National Championships!” GoFundMe advertised on the organization’s social media accounts and website.
“The game is going to start Saturday. We need help. What do we need to do to get help from Norristown officials to give back to the kids in the community? To keep them off the streets. I know the crime rate is high up here. Let’s change that,” Taylor said.
“There’s nothing for these kids to do, but they’re breaking into homes and cars, it’s a problem. Let’s change that. Let’s give them something to do here today now,” she said. “Things have got to change in Norristown. This is unacceptable. we need help. What can y’all do for the 10U Youth Bengals to get these kids to Florida?”
Her words were met with applause from a packed council chamber. While Norristown Municipal Council President Tom Lepera initially inquired about how people can contribute to the cause, the matter came up again when he took a “personal point of privilege” during the meeting. He pledged an estimated $3,500 from his remaining council member discretionary funds, adding that “I’d like to commit that to the Youth Bengals.”
His colleagues followed suit as each council member offered funding for the youth sports team. Lepera called out several figures on behalf of the elected officials, which ranged from $1,600 to $5,000. Councilman William McCoy added “you guys can have mine as well, $3,700.”
Each pledged contribution brought applause and echoes of thank you from the audience.
“We will have finance work on [these] exact figures, and we’ll get them over to you, and once again, just give a round of applause to the kids here,” Lepera said.
