DENVER — The Park Hill Pirates 9U football team will hold a fundraiser on Thursday at Cuba Cuba Sandwicheria on E. Northfield Boulevard in Denver ahead of the team's historic trip to a national competition in Naples, Florida.
The Park Hill Pirates Youth Sports Organization was founded 60 years ago, and has served as a community staple since.
But this year, organization leaders said they’ve experienced unprecedented success.
“Athletically, this is a milestone year for us. We have eight divisions within the organization. All eight went to the Super Bowl. We had six of the eight actually win their Super Bowl appearances. Five of those went on to state. We had four state champions in the State of Colorado. And then those four, they all went to regionals,” said Herman White, chairman of the board of directors for the Park Hill Pirates Youth Sports Organization. “From a regional perspective, one team came out successful and is on to the national stage to represent not only our organization, but this community, Park Hill, as well as the State of Colorado.”
The Park Hill Pirate 9U team, made up of players 9 years old or younger, will play in the national competition in Naples, Florida.
“We have our 9U team led by (an) amazing man and coach named Ed Gadson. This team has been together for probably about five years now. They started out as very young toddlers doing flag football. They are pivotal to this organization's success. They are the blueprint of how we want to move forward. I believe at this point, they have won 31 straight games,” White said.
But White said the success comes with a big price tag.
“This is a significant investment into our kids, right? I believe we stated that it will cost us about $67,000 to get them down to Naples from Denver for a week-long opportunity... I believe it's 28 kids. Then we have coaches and team moms, so we're going to travel with about 41 individuals down,” White said.
The team is still working to raise $20,000 before heading to Florida on Saturday.
“The community has always been supportive, cheering these young men and women on as they continue to reach their full potential on the field and off the field. That has always been our No. 1 priority. But getting them these national exposures is key to their development as well. And so that does come with a lot of sacrifices, a lot of commitments as well as financial contributions," White said. “This is the holiday season where budgets are pretty tight for most families. Everybody's allocating things for the holidays or whatnot. And so (a) financial contribution for us to reach our $20,000 goal, to secure everything that we need to (go to) Florida, would be invaluable.”
White said several Park Hill Pirates alumni and friends have been very generous with donations.
“Thus far, we have the Marshall’s Mortuary… They've been supportive of this 9U team for the last two years. We just want to thank them, as well as some of our alumni, Calais Campbell, who is an 18-year vet in (the) NFL right now. As soon as he saw the need, he responded within minutes with a significant donation. Then we have partners like Rise 5280 with Michelyn Johnson, who is contributing significantly as well. The Denver Foundation, through BRIC (Black Resilience in Colorado) has always been supportive of our endeavors, and the Colorado Health Foundation. So we just want to thank each and every one of them,” White said.
White said the trip to Florida is about more than winning a football game.
“That's one of our priorities, but more so just give the kids a great experience for them to see national competition. Some of these kids will have never been on planes before, and so giving them that exposure,” White said. “But we're not just a sports organization. We are a youth development organization that happens to have a passion within sports, right? So, we truly develop the kids holistically. So, we do a lot of social emotional learning with the kids, educational progress and tracking.”
The fundraising event on Thursday is happening all day long.
To learn more about the Park Hill Pirates and to donate click here.
