“Cricket in the Community” wins NGO support from Caixa Econômica Federal employees
Paulo Vitor Campor’s article – Sport Poços
Caixa Econômica Federal, through NGO Housing and Citizenship, composed of bank employees, now supports five cricket projects carried out in the city. The formalization ceremony of the partnership with the Brazilian Cricket Association took place yesterday morning at the agency located in Vila Cruz.
For professor Matt Featherstone, responsible for the sport’s success in the city, the partnership marks a new cycle in the sport of Poços de Caldas and comes to leverage cricket on the national and world stage. The sponsorship signed yesterday with Caixa is the largest since the projects were implemented in the city. “It was a special date and we of the projects are very happy with this partnership that will help the communities of the city a lot”, said Featherstone.
In addition to representatives of the local cricket, such as Featherstone and professors Richard Avery, Roberta Avery and Alexandre Felipe, Maristela Jorge Miter, representative of the Regional Committee for Housing and Citizenship, NGO of Caixa employees, Manoel Alejandro Casteñeda, state project manager social and cultural aspects of Housing and Citizenship, as well as representatives of Caixa Econômica de Belo Horizonte. “We evaluated the whole project and saw a great potential here due to serving a large number of people practicing cricket. The cricket project carried out in Poços de Caldas fits our support philosophy very well. It serves directly and indirectly a large number of young people in a job very well done ”, said Casteñeda.
During the event, Professor Featherstone explained how the projects work, showed a little about the sport and highlighted the results obtained by the city’s athletes. The five projects benefited in the city with the support of the NGO are Lar Criança Feliz, PMJ Vilas Unidas, New Santa Maria project, New Galpão das Artes project and Casa do Caminho.
Currently, about 1,250 people play cricket in Poços’ projects. The expectation is that with the new projects this number will increase to 1,600 practitioners in the city.
“New Field”
Matt Featherstone took the opportunity to speak to Mantiqueira that soon Poços de Caldas teams will have a space provided by the city hall for the practice of cricket. According to him, until the beginning of the year, the old golf course located on the south side will have an exclusive area for the practice of the sport. “The city will let us use part of the site to make a field and this will make it much easier for our sport.
Today we have to use the Bandolão only once a month and when the southern zone is ready, this problem will no longer exist ”, said Featherstone.
“Housing and Citizenship NGO”
Housing and Citizenship, at the national level, develops social projects, primarily in the areas of Education and Generation of Work and Income in order to contribute to the social inclusion of Brazilian families. In 2016, it benefited around 39 thousand people with social projects developed across the country.
The NGO has been a great articulator in favor of the viability of several structuring actions. The projects are developed in partnership with Caixa, Third Sector institutions and municipal, state and federal governments.