The Newtown Soccer Club played host to visiting teams, professional athletes, and its first Newtown SoccerFest on Saturday, June 4. The day was a fundraiser for the Caroline Previdi Foundation.carolineprevidifoundation.org.

"It was a fantastic event," said Newtown Soccer Club volunteer Aaron Carlson, who helped organize the event with a group of other volunteers.

Newtown Soccer Club President John Premus said in an email on Monday, June 6, that the professional soccer players who participated in the event were "amazing."

The event was held at Newtown High School's Blue & Gold Stadium, and it included a number of activities throughout the day.

In the morning, Newtown U11 girls and members of the Houston, Texas U11 team supported the Connecticut Food Bank by preparing meals, with support by the NHS culinary program. Professional soccer players also helped alongside the girls.

Carlson said over 100 meals were prepared through the efforts, including a dish nicknamed "Dynamo Chicken" for the day, which included baked chicken and carrots.

Major League Soccer and National Women's Soccer League teams were represented, with professional players interacting and helping participants throughout the day's events. Professional teams that participated included Houston Dynamo, NYC FC, NY Red Bulls, NE Revolution, Houston Dash, Boston Breakers, Orlando Pride, FCKC, Western NY Flash, and Sky Blue, according to a release for the event.

Near the end of the day's events, the Newtown U11 girls' travel teams and the U11 girls from Houston participated in a Community Cup match.

Mr Carlson estimates hundreds of people stopped by to participate for the day.

Ultimately the event was a fundraiser for the Caroline Previdi Foundation, Carlson said, and donations were collected throughout the day for the foundation.

The collection, he said, was "another way of giving back through the event as well.

"We expect this to certainly be an annual event," Carlson said. "This first effort with the Community Cup. We expect [it] to be a building block."

Carlson said he expects the Newtown SoccerFest will be an even bigger event in the future for the soccer community, with increased community service efforts.

The Caroline Previdi Foundation's goal is to support children in Newtown and surrounding communities with the financial means to participate in extracurricular activities. More information about the Caroline Previdi Foundation is available at its website