www.BXTimes.com BRONX WEEKLY March 22, 2020 8
SBU soccer program awarded in Berlin for stellar program
BY KYLE VUILLE
What was once just a Bronx
middle school teacher’s farfetched
idea 11 years ago has become
a worldly renowned sports
program.
South Bronx United executive
director Andrew So joined
by two of the program’s success
stories, 20-year-olds Mohamed
Konate and Maria Martinez
traveled to Berlin, Germany to
receive the 2020 Sport for Good
Award by Laureus World Sports
Academy.
The youth program was
awarded for its work in underserved
neighborhoods by engaging
at-risk and immigrant children
in the world’s oldest and
most popular sport.
Andrew So, SBU executive director,
co-founded South Bronx
United in 2009 while he was
teaching math and English at
a middle school in Morrisania.
After realizing the lack of afterschool
programs, his love for
soccer and realizing the worldliness
of soccer clicked to form
SBU.
“If not for the after school program,
they’d be in the streets or
going home to play video games,”
So said.
According to So, the program
started with a squad of 16 young
teenage boys. The program now
serves approximately 1,200 boys
and girls.
The Laureus World Sports
Academy awarded SBU with the
Sport for Good Award at their
20th annual award ceremony
based on the merit that SBU has
used sport to “reduce the impact
of violence, confl ict and discrimination,
to enhance social and
emotional development, to inspire
healthy behavior change
and to increase educational
achievements and employability
skills.”
SBU does that, not only by
boosting students’ confi dences
on the fi eld, but helps the students
in the classroom.
As a part of the SBU program,
students are required to attend
‘academic enrichment’ sessions
two afternoons a week, where
they receive tutoring in math,
English, science or participate
in SAT testing prep.
Martinez has been a part of
the SBU program since she was
12 and one of the players who accompanied
So in Berlin to accept
the award.
“One of the greatest gifts SBU
has provided to me is the ability
to wake up every morning with
a new goal and make an effort
to be the best person I can be,”
Martinez said.
Martinez, originally from
Mexico, said SBU has even
helped her and her family in
the Permanent Residence Card
process, which has enabled her
to see family in Mexico, attend
a service trip to Costa Rica and
attend the award ceremony in
Germany.
“Throughout the years SBU
has not only provided emotional
support and been like a family
to me,” Martinez said. “But they
are helping me graduate from
high school and attend college.”
Martinez said feeling a
greater sense of service in herself
and experiencing the press
conferences were the highlights
of her trip to Germany.
Martinez’s plans for the future
include continuing her
soccer career into college with
dreams of becoming professional
one day and creating a
non-profi t focused on animal
care and soccer. She added she
wants to become a role model for
younger girls.
Stephanie and Andrew So (outside left and right) stand on the red carpet with Maria Martinez and Mohamed Konate in
Berlin to accept the 2020 Laureus Sport for Good Award. Stephanie and Andrew So are co-founders of South Bronx United.
Martinez and Konate are success stories of the soccer and academic program and served as ambassadors for SBU in Berlin.
Photo Photo courtesy of SBU
Two more
arrested in
shooting death
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
AMNEWYORK-METRO REPORTER
Two more people were arrested in connection
to the shooting death of a man in
the Bronx earlier this year.
According to police, at 11:30 p.m. on January
19, the NYPD responded to a 911 call
regarding a man shot outside a building on
Creston Avenue between East 182nd and
East 183rd streets. Upon their arrival, offi -
cers found 23-year-old Matthew Jones with
gunshot wounds to his head and torso.
Jones was rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital,
where he was pronounced dead.
Police initially arrested 27-year-old
Christopher Padin, a homeless man who
allegedly shot Jones over money that was
owed. Padin was arrested on January 23
and charged with murder.
Since Padin’s arrest, police have arrested
two more individuals in connection
to Jones’ death. On February 13, police arrested
25-year-old Ryan Padin and charged
him with murder, manslaughter and criminal
possession of a weapon. On March 17,
police also arrested 26-year-old Kaylene
Rodriguez and charged her with murder,
manslaughter and criminal possession of
a weapon.
Mamajuana Cafe on East Tremont Avenue. Photo courtesy of Google
Mamajuana Cafe offers kids lunch while school is out
BY ALEX MITCHELL
AMNEWYORK-METRO REPORTER
One Latin-Caribbean restaurant
in the east Bronx is doing its
part to help those in need during
the coronavirus pandemic.
Mamajuana Cafe on East
Tremont Avenue in Throggs Neck
announced via Facebook that will
be giving away lunch bags for local
kids in the Bronx while NYC
schools are closed.
It’s between 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. or
4 to 8 p.m. when you can head to the
restaurant to pick up both a sandwich
and snack for your child, according
to the restaurant.
“We do not want any child in
our community to miss a meal,”
the Facebook post read. “We want
to help relieve one stress during
these diffi cult times.”
Mamajuana’s is also asking
for anyone willing to partner in
the meal giveaway to reach out
directly to start a collaborative
effort.
“We hope this will eliminate
one stress during these diffi cult
times the COVID-19 has brought
our community,” the Facebook
post stated.
Mamajuana Cafe, 3233 East
Tremont Avenue. They can be
reached at (718) 824-8400. Normal
business hours vary.
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