Community Outreach Programs brought to you by Mattie Rhodes Center

Soccer Tournament and Health Fair this weekend

This weekend, Mattie Rhodes Center and Guadalupe Centers are teaming up in their continued effort to get the community vaccinated against COVID-19. The two-day Blocking COVID Soccer Tournament and Health Fair will be at the Ninth and Van Brunt Soccer Fields from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 2 and 12 to 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 3.

Men’s and women’s teams signed up through March 25 for a chance to win the championship trophy. Organizers expect players’ families and friends to come out to watch, and they’re hoping for good weather.

Nearly 20 partners will be on site to share information about services, perform health screenings, provide entertainment for the whole family, and vaccinate against COVID-19.

“We’re going to be having the Kansas City Health Department on that Saturday doing COVID vaccinations, and then on Sunday it’ll be Heart to Heart International doing the COVID vaccinations, and then we’ll have the National Association of Hispanic Nurses there to do some other health screenings, as well,” said Alea Surender, Youth Development Coordinator at Mattie Rhodes Center.

The health department will have three other tables, one for voter registration, one for childhood lead poisoning prevention and one for KC Health IQ. Blue Cross Blue Shield and United Healthcare will be there to share insurance information. The Children’s Mercy Mobile Unit will be at the event to pass out free supplies to teens.

“They have a campaign, it’s called Access KC Teens, and so they are trying to increase accessibility to mental health and sexual health education for teens in Kansas City,” Surender said. “So they have a table with condoms, pregnancy tests, they’re going to do a telehealth demo in their mobile unit, and give away some other free stuff.”

The Kansas City Public Library will distribute free books to kids in English and Spanish, and Kansas City Public Schools’ International Welcome Center team will help enroll students.

Temple Made Fitness will host a program called Animal Movements for kids, a fun and easy way to keep the little ones engaged in physical activity.

Along with opportunities to win raffles, Lincoln University is going to be there to survey feelings on getting vaccinated with a gift card incentive for participating.

“Especially for this community – and just based on COVID rates, like the data that we’ve gotten from the health department – it was important that we targeted a certain age group,” Surender said. “That’s why we made the tournament for 18-year-olds and up because those are the lowest vaccination numbers.”

Centering the event around something that the community loves – soccer – and adding in attractions like food trucks, DJs, and family friendly activities, it will be a weekend full of both resources and fun.

“Hopefully some of these people will be exposed to things that they never thought were important or resources that they didn’t even know about,” Surender said.

Mattie Rhodes has been consistently hosting vaccine clinics, and plans to continue them through June.

“We have been very consistent when we started doing these vaccination clinics since May of 2021,” said Adriana Rangel Hernandez, Bilingual Public Health Services Coordinator at Mattie Rhodes. “Based off the information that the health department provides us, we’re seeing that in the Hispanic population, our numbers are high, but we are not getting fully vaccinated. So just being consistent and being able to provide these vaccination clinics – because we’re having them one to twice a month – and letting the community know that we are here, and our goal is to get the community fully vaccinated.”

The event is funded by the health department through a handful of grants the partners have received. More information on Mattie Rhodes programming can be found at mattierhodes.org.

Tire Collection Location: Concourse Park – 200 Benton Ave
Electronics Collection: 9th & Van Brunt Athletic Fields

There will be a cash charge for electronic items listed below:
• CRT Monitors $5/ea
• CRT TVs 26” or less $30/ea
• CRT TVs 27” or greater $50ea
• Wood Console/True Big Screen/Projection TVs $50/ea
• LED/LCD/Plasma TVs $20/ea
• Any Freon Containing Unit $10 /ea

RedRacks Collection: 9th & Van Brunt Athletic Fields – Apr. 9th
• Clothing (free of mildew and/or mold)
• Shoes & Belts
• Jewelry & Fashion Accessories
• Furniture (no rips, stains, nothing missing or broken, no pet hair or pet odor)
• Housewares (dishes, silverware, pots, baskets)
• Small Appliances (microwaves, coffee pots, blenders, etc. MUST be in working order)
• Vacuums & Carpet Cleaners (must be clean and emptied AND in working order)
• Crutches, Canes, Walkers, Shower Chairs, Bedside Commodes
• Antique & Collectibles
• Books
• Linen, Blankets, Towels, Decor Pillows
• Musical Instruments (NO PIANOS or ORGANS)
• Tools (powered and handheld)
• Electronics (cell phones, stereos, etc. MUST be in working order)
• TV (MUST be in working order & flat front and back)
• Sports and/or Camping Equipment
• Large Toys (MUST be clean)
• BBQ Grills (no rust, no damage, or propane connected)
• Ladders (in good condition)