Developing Generous People and Strong Characters on and off the Field
At Lonestar Soccer Club, our mission is to be the best youth soccer club in the nation while developing good people. We believe that helping youth understand how they can be generous, service-minded, and community-oriented individuals is as important as teaching them to be the best soccer players they can be.
Soccer provides a unique platform to develop players holistically —not just their athletic abilities, but their character, empathy, and capacity for service. Parents and coaches have an extraordinary opportunity to use their child’s soccer journey to instill philanthropic values that will shape them into compassionate leaders for life.
The Science Behind Youth Philanthropy
How does giving back impact youth? Research from the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reveals that giving back transforms young lives in measurable ways. According to comprehensive studies of over 50,000 U.S. children and adolescents, kids who volunteer experience benefits like:
- 34% more likely to be in excellent or very good health
- 66% more likely to be considered “flourishing” in overall well-being
- 35% less likely to have behavioral problems
- 25% less likely to experience anxiety (ages 12 and older)
The Power of Parental Conversation
The most impactful finding? According to research on youth giving patterns, children whose parents discuss philanthropy with them are 20% more likely to give to charity than those whose parents don’t have these conversations. Role-modeling alone is impactful, but active dialogue about giving makes a considerable difference.
Additional research shows that 81% of giving parents report their children also participate in charitable activities, and 54% of parent donors say that raising children increased their own giving.
Below are resources to help guide a conversation:
- Donor’s Trust – Teaching Children the Joy of Giving
- Fidelity Charitable – Involving Children of All Ages in Philanthropy
- Greater Good – How to Help Kids Learn to Love Giving
Neurological Development and Prosocial Behavior
Neuroscience research from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill shows that helping others actually changes how young people’s brains work. Brain imaging in the study shows that when young teens do helpful things for others, certain parts of their brain related to understanding other people’s thoughts, intentions, and emotions become more active.
They aren’t just building character – they are building brain architecture for lifelong compassionate behavior and neural pathways for empathy, perspective-taking, and moral decision-making.
Giving back helps build the brain areas that control empathy (caring about others) and making smart decisions.
Natural Connections Between Soccer and Service
Youth soccer creates an ideal environment for developing philanthropic values:
- Teamwork builds community collaboration skills
- Supporting teammates develops empathy for those facing challenges
- Celebrating diversity prepares children to serve varied communities
- Goal-setting and persistence apply directly to charitable efforts
- Understanding fairness connects to social justice concepts
The U.S. Soccer Foundation exemplifies this connection, noting that soccer can play a crucial role in a child’s life by offering mentorship, teamwork, and confidence-building opportunities that last a lifetime.
Good People, Great Players
At Lonestar Soccer Club, we’re not just developing future soccer stars—we’re cultivating generous leaders our communities need. Giving back serves as an effective tool for supporting young people’s well-being.
By integrating philanthropic habits into soccer development, we hope to equip children with tools for success that benefit everyone and contribute to building better human beings who happen to be exceptional soccer players.
Help more families afford youth soccer while teaching your player about giving, generosity, and community building. Learn more and join your team by creating a fundraising page and share with friends and family.
For questions about the fundraising campaign, please contact sponsorships@lonestar-sc.com