COLUMBUS, Ohio — Hilltop community leaders say there is a major lack of facilities for kids to turn to which is leading many of them to gangs, violence and crime.
However, My Project USA, the largest Muslim social services organization in Ohio, has found a way to get kids off the street, by getting them onto the field.
“Just growing up here, I mean it wasn’t really the best experience where a lot of kids never had a positive outlet. There was no programming like sports teams or rec centers, just things you can look forward to that was actually positive,” said Siyat Mohamed, the soccer coach for My Project USA.
Mohamed worked for seven years to build up the soccer program with the nonprofit organization. There are now 150 kids who are a part of the soccer program called the Hilltop Tigers, but the center offers more than just soccer.
“It starts with soccer, but then they are required to be in the tutoring classes, they are required to be in Reading Warrior, high school youth are required to maintain their 3.5 GPA and they have no excuse for not keeping it because we provide them with a free tutoring service,” said Zerqa Abid, the founder and executive director of the organization.
Zerqa said the center focuses on providing kids with a safe haven to keep them off the streets.
“It’s infested, literally infested with drug dealers, and pimps and gangsters in this neighborhood, so the children are easy prey for them,” Abid said.
She explains that children coming from impoverished homes are especially susceptible.
“Offering a good meal or something like a couple of hundred dollars for passing drugs here to there is very easy to lure these children into it,” Abid explains, which is why they have a food pantry for families to get groceries. The pantry is open four days a week.
Just last year the center served over 40,000 people and 9,000 families. The soccer players are now called champions.
“Four of the teams are champions in Central Ohio right now. 10 of them are playing in Ohio premiere soccer club,” Abid said.
For anyone who is interested in the resources, you can head over to myprojectusa.org or visit the center at 3275 Sullivant Avenue to learn more.