JAMAICA, NY --- (www.YORKATHLETICS.com) York College women's soccer gave back to the community on March 12 by hosting a virtual story time to connect with the Girl Scouts of Greater New York Brownie Troop 4291 and Junior Troop 4749.

Head women's soccer coach Jose "Tito" Castillo, along with student-athletes, Taylor Bellmon, Geraldine Guese and Damata Usman, interacted with the Girl Scouts and led the virtual story time with members of the Queens-based troop. During a Q&A session, the team shared how accepting and diverse their program is and how much they respect each other both on and off the field.  

 "It was great to talk soccer with these young girls who were very intrigued with learning about the sport.  Our student-athletes provided their experience being part of our team and I could tell it gave the girls a little motivation of "that could be me when I am older". We have gained Cardinal fans, and you never know, maybe some future Cardinals." – head coach Jose "Tito" Castillo.

"They all gave a lot of great information about soccer; how the game is played; how many girls are on the team; how far the field is; and how long the girls have to run. My girls had some really good questions and answers before the story reading. As for the stories that were read, all three of the books were great. As one of my girl's said, each of those books went according to our Girl Scout Law. Hopefully, when this pandemic is all said and done, we can attend a game and have an actual one-on-one conversation with the team." said Gloria Palau, Girl Scouts of Greater New York Brownie Troop Leader 4291 and Junior Troop Co-Leader 4749

 Virtual story time selections included:

• (Geraldine Guese) I Can Do Hard Things: Mindful Affirmations for Kids by Gabi Garcia
• (Taylor Bellmon) Emerald the Mermaid by Mary K. Smith
• (Jose 'Tito' Castillo) Dear Girl: A Celebration of Wonderful, Smart, Beautiful You! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Paris Rosenthal

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