Youth Soccer Club Raises $20K For Players' Families Displaced By Reston Apartment Fire

RESTON, VA — Aaron, a player in the Great Falls-Reston Soccer Club, recently told his coach that he couldn't come to practice because he didn't have any cleats.

The elite soccer player explained that he was one of the 15 people who'd been displaced by a fire at the Stonegate Village Apartment complex in Reston on April 10. His family had lost everything and were living in the nearby Residence Inn.

Aaron's coach shared the story with the club's executive director and learned that another family had been affected by the fire.

"Aaron has been a long-term player," said Krista Gatt, the club administrator. "He helps out other teams and guest plays on other teams. He's a really nice kid and he works during the summer at summer camps."

To help out the two families, the Great Falls-Soccer Club decided to launch a GoFundMe campaign with the goal of raising $12,000. As of 12 noon on Wednesday, $20,612 had been raised from 236 donors.

"People not only have they giving money and donations through GoFundMe, but there's been an awful lot of offers of furniture, clothing, TVs, all kinds of stuff," Gatt said. "So, I think they'll be in pretty good shape by the time it's all over."

Gatt has been in contact with Aaron's mother about the offers of furniture and coordinating the delivery and pickup. She's also learned that the family has been rehoused in a new apartment.

While the response has been overwhelmingly positive and much more than the organizers had anticipated, this is not the first time the club has stepped up to assist its members.

"The club in general has the policy that any kid who wants to play soccer, we facilitate it with either discounts or scholarships," Gatt said. "We work with families. I've had families pay $25 a month to play in the league. It's severely discounted, but we always want to have people contributing something. We help somebody that's down and out. We try to help all people."

Donations for the two families affected by the April 10 can be made via the Great Falls-Reston Soccer Club's GoFundMe campaign.