The Bethlehem Center hosted The Beth Cup for the first time on Saturday, July 31, a seasonal sporting tournament of community supported teams.
The inaugural event, hosted at Highland Park Commons, featured both a men’s and women’s soccer tournament, drawing in sixteen primarily Hispanic teams and over 400 Chattanoogans. The purpose of the event was to build community and promote diversity, the arts and healthy living. In addition to the tournament, the event also included free food from Dos Bros, a backpack giveaway by the Nehemiah Project, fun activities for kids led by the Creative Discovery Museum, an art station led by Tob.Art, face painting, vendors and more.
Pastor Jaime Betancourt of Red Bank Baptist Church opened the event in prayer, and Mayor Tim Kelly gave remarks highlighting the importance of diverse communities coming together to build a more inclusive Chattanooga. The event concluded with community teams “Roma FC” & “The Highland Park Strangers” being the first ever champions of the tournament.
“Everyone that played and came out for The Beth Cup event had a wonderful time," said Jonathan Dreiling, director of Highland Park Commons. "The soccer tournament was exciting and a blast to both watch and play in we are already starting to plan future events with The Beth. They were truly great partners and we look forward to continuing our relationship.”
The event was part of the Bethlehem Center’s broader, summer-long Community Connections Summer Grants Program, which supported dozens of local organizations in serving children and families in Chattanooga.
Josh R. Singh, director of Strategic Operations at the Bethlehem Center, said, “As an organization that is always seeking to promote diversity and inclusivity, being able to bring the community together in this way was an amazing experience and a huge success. We want to always make sure that we’re reaching the Hispanic population of our city, and building strong relationships is key to empowering our community one family at a time.”
For more information about the Beth, visit www.thebeth.org or the Bethlehem Center’s Facebook page.