The Rockville-based New Neighbor Interfaith Alliance (NNIA) will host its second Set Them Up for Success Volleyball Tournament on August 23, bringing together up to eight recreational volleyball teams to pass, set, and hit on the court and convening the community in raising funds for its mission. An interfaith non-profit coalition comprising 28 churches, synagogues, Muslim and other community groups, NNIA leaders hope its second community volleyball tournament will raise funds to help its more than 100 refugee families that have resettled locally with rental assistance and other necessary expenses. They also hope to expand their volunteer numbers to help beneficiaries with job assistance, reliable transportation, and tutoring in English.
NNIA’s faith communities and community organizations that work together to welcome new immigrants to Montgomery County are leveraging their collective resources to sponsor the fundraiser Saturday, August 23, at the Inter-Denominational Church of God in Gaithersburg, 19201 Woodfield Road, to raise funds for its work.
“In this fraught environment, it’s more important than ever to lend a hand to these new neighbors, many of whom have escaped challenging and dangerous circumstances in Afghanistan, Syria, Ukraine and several African countries and need assistance once they arrive to our area,” said Christine King, president of the board for NNIA. “We hope to continue welcoming and lifting up these new families to Montgomery County through our collective love of sports and fellowship.”
The tournament format will be a two-bracket, round-robin competition, for which eight teams of recreational players who have played organized volleyball are sought. Entrants in an eight-team field are guaranteed a minimum of three matches, best two out of three games.
“I am thrilled that we, as a group of faith communities and community organizations, are coming together to help raise funds to welcome and acclimate our new neighbors to Montgomery County,” said Melissa Montealegre Egan, co-coordinator of the Set Them Up for Success Volleyball Tournament. “Whether we are inspired by repairing the world or welcoming the stranger, it’s wonderful to join forces driven by a common desire to help ease the transitions of people resettling in our community.”
Register to play on a team, make a general donation, or become a business sponsor at https://ssl.charityweb.net/nnia-maryland/setthemup/. For more information, please contact tournament co-coordinators Melissa Egan at megan@sfadw.org, Chris King at caking.home@gmail.com or tournament format coordinator Kirk Grothe at kirk@kirkgrothe.com.