Thorns FC midfielder Rocky Rodriguez is nominated for the 2023 NWSL Community Impact Award for her collaboration with SMART Oregon. Fans can vote daily, and the fan vote is open through Oct. 31.
Portland Thorns FC midfielder Rocky Rodríguez is one of 12 league-wide player ambassadors nominated for the 2023 Nationwide Community Impact Award. Fans can help determine the winner through a fan vote through Oct. 31.
Rodríguez has teamed up with SMART Reading to help youth with and enjoy a love of reading. She recently joined KairosPDX in the classroom with SMART - a literacy non-profit devoted to putting books in kids hands.
"We got to spend time with the kids, we introduced ourselves and got to talk a little bit about soccer," said Rodríguez. "[The event] was mostly [about] getting involved with reading. They got the chance to pick their favorite books, they brought them home, and we learned from each other."
The winner of the third-annual Nationwide Community Impact Award will be announced and honored at halftime of the 2023 NWSL Championship match Nov. 11 in San Diego, Calif. The winning community partner will receive a $25,000 donation from Nationwide.
The Nationwide Community Impact Award is a season-long, civically-focused initiative that promotes community and local service projects chosen and led by each NWSL team. As part of the league-wide initiative, each team works with the league and Nationwide to select one season-long community partner. Each community organization will receive a grant to support its program and serve as the focus of a team-led service project, with a designated player ambassador to champion the effort.
