Defender Jose Luis Burciaga Jr. announced today that his foundation, launched May 5 of this year, now has an official website up and running. www.jlbfoundation.com is the official home for all programs and events related to the foundation geared toward assisting Hispanic youth and underprivileged students in promoting involvement in sports, education, community service and cultural awareness. Interested parties are encouraged to visit the website and sign-up to receive the latest news and information from Burciaga and special, in-depth content on the site itself. A forum is also available for suggestions and comments.
"I hope people will go to the site and offer feedback," Burciaga said. "The foundation is going in the right direction and the website will offer people a lot of information about what we're doing in the community."
The website is the best place to find the latest news and information on Burciaga's foundation. Burciaga Jr. has been a stand-up community presence since he joined the Wizards in 2001, but his efforts in 2007 have reached a new high.
Over an August bye weekend, Burciaga ran a clinic in New Orleans in association with the U.S. Soccer Foundation's Passback program. The clinic, attended by over 100 kids, was designed to teach soccer to underprivileged children ages 6-16 in New Orleans. Burciaga was the only MLS player present, as volunteers from the U.S. Soccer Foundation, Western Union and area youth coaches assisted with the program.
"Doing something like this is good for the league and it's good for the Kansas City Wizards," Burciaga said at the time. "That's something we in MLS do a great job of. We don't just play soccer, we do a good job of getting out in the community and giving back. That's something I try to do often."
Burciaga has also had a strong presence through his foundation and other activities at the Guadalupe Center in Kansas City, Kansas. The Guadalupe Center is a community center in the heart of Kansas City's Latino core that provides services ranging from after school youth programming to cultural enrichment classes for the elderly. It is one of the oldest social service organizations in the country geared toward the Hispanic community and has been one of Burciaga's favorite vehicles for reaching out to the citizens of Kansas City. He has made numerous visits throughout his career with the Wizards.
About the Jose Luis Burciaga Jr. Foundation
The Jose Luis Burciaga Foundation is geared towards assisting Hispanic youth and underprivileged students in promoting involvement in sports, education, community service, and cultural awareness. "La Fundación de Jose Luis Burciaga" aims to provide adequate resources for students to develop key skills learned both on and off the soccer field such as teamwork, discipline, respect, a competitive attitude, and determination.
