<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2ldG1z_0vJ5EszN00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2ldG1z_0vJ5EszN00" width="650" height="433" ><figcaption>Youngsters run Aug. 28, 2024 during a football practice at Sands Park in Manistee. (Kyle Kotecki/News Advocate) </figcaption></figure> MANISTEE — A new 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization has&nbsp;been formed to ensure Manistee-area youth are able to compete on the gridiron. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/2606608189511834/" rel="nofollow"> Mariner Youth Football </a> is currently raising funds for essential equipment and uniforms for a new youth program. Ben Beaumont, co-founder of the nonprofit and a team coach, said the nonprofit was formed to make it easier for interested parties to help out. "There are a lot of other parents and business leaders that really wanted to help and didn't know how," he said. "Then we were looking at some of the other programs like Scottville, Ludington, the Traverse City programs — how much money the community generates for them. We really wanted to focus on how can we support youth sports in Manistee, because there's obviously a lot of opportunity. "There are a lot of businesses, there are a lot of community leaders that want to be involved — they just don't&nbsp;necessarily know how." Beaumont said the group "just wants to promote youth sports in Manistee." "We want to make sure that they have the resources that they need, whether that be equipment or anything that they might need," he said. "We want to take as much burden away from the parents as possible, and I think there's a lot of opportunity in Manistee and a lot of people that want to do that. It's just a question of getting out in front of them and making sure they know how we can do this." Mary Reid, Mariner&nbsp;Youth Football board secretary, said the nonprofit has a GoFundMe and is also accepting donations&nbsp;through Venmo. "We just started this youth program because we want to do what's best for the kids. We found that a lot of community members and families are actually very involved and they want to help however they can," she said. "... I'm just kind of doing what I can do to help get funds raised because we had to buy brand new jerseys, uniforms, helmets, shoulder pads — we had to buy literally everything. We're trying to fundraise right now just to see what's what and what we can do." <figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3YHEvx_0vJ5EszN00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3YHEvx_0vJ5EszN00" width="650" height="432" ><figcaption>Athletes on Manistee's youth football program warm up Aug. 28, 2024 during a practice at Sands Park. (Kyle Kotecki/News Advocate) </figcaption></figure> Donations can be made to <a href="https://account.venmo.com/u/MarinerYouthFootball" rel="nofollow"> @MarinerYouthFootball </a> on Venmo or by visiting <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-our-young-athletes-shine-on-the-field?attribution_id=sl:6362d00c-482a-4c06-a006-e982d687daa2&amp;utm_campaign=man_ss_icons&amp;utm_content=amp1c&amp;utm_medium=customer&amp;utm_source=copy_link" rel="nofollow"> bit.ly/3Xl6PAa </a> . Beaumont said the youth football program can lay the foundation so the athletes can find success at the middle and high school level. "That was kind of one of the overarching goals that we wanted to do," he said. "We wanted to get in line ... with the middle school coaches, and of course the varsity coaches, and kind of figure out what they want, what they expect and then how can we implement that in a youth sports program, so when (the kids) get to that point (the coaches) don't have to worry about teaching everything — the foundation's already there." Beaumont said the most important thing is "trying to provide something positive for the kids." "In any type of sport you want to win and be successful in that regard, but really what we're focused on is making sure the kids build team chemistry, they have leadership abilities, they have coaches that they can look&nbsp;up to that are setting the right example and things of that nature," he said. "That's really what our focus is." Beaumont said things have been going well with the program. "The parents&nbsp;have been fantastic as far as being involved," he said. "They're really taking a lot of the pressure off the nonprofit organization itself to kind of help with fundraising and reaching out to different community leaders, different businesses and things of that nature. "The reception has been fantastic." </div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

Nonprofit formed to support Manistee-area youth football program

\"There are a lot of other parents and business leaders that really wanted to help and didn't know how.\"

"There are a lot of other parents and business leaders that really wanted to help and didn't know how."