Beyond the Gear: Why Turtle Ridge Foundation Is Teaming Up with Black Rock FC

At Turtle Ridge Foundation, our mission has always been rooted in one simple belief: sports should be accessible to everyone.

Over the years, that mission has taken many forms.

Sometimes, it looks like adaptive sports equipment that changes someone’s life almost overnight. Sometimes, it’s helping repair a community center so kids have a safe place to gather. Sometimes, it’s shoes, gear, scholarships, or sponsorships that give young athletes the chance to step onto the field, the mountain, the court, or the track and simply play.

So, when our board recently approved a grant for Black Rock FC, a standout amateur soccer club playing in USL League Two, we knew some people might wonder: How does this fit?

The answer is simple: It’s a perfect fit!

Because at the heart of it, this grant is about the same thing TRF has always believed in: breaking down barriers and creating opportunity through sports.

A New Kind of Access

When Turtle Ridge Foundation helps provide an adaptive mono-ski, a pair of running shoes, or equipment for a young athlete, we’re doing more than funding gear.

We’re opening a door.

Our support of Black Rock FC in Nashua, New Hampshire, follows that same spirit, just on a larger community scale.

Black Rock FC isn’t only about high-level soccer, though the level of play is impressive. With athletes from 40 countries and 30 states, many headed toward top colleges and even the MLS SuperDraft, the talent on the field is real.

But the bigger story is what Black Rock FC is building around the game.

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Black Rock uses soccer as a vehicle for mentorship, community connection, leadership, and belonging. Through this grant, TRF is helping support free youth soccer clinics, accessible summer camps, community tournaments, and positive spaces where kids can learn from dedicated collegiate athletes and coaches.

For some kids, that kind of access can change everything.

It can give them confidence.

It can give them direction.

It can give them a team.

And sometimes, that’s the spark that lasts a lifetime.

Dream. Believe. Succeed.

Black Rock FC’s tagline is simple: Dream. Believe. Succeed.

Around here, those words mean a lot.

When Bode was growing up in the mountains, the path to the world stage wasn’t obvious. It started with a dream, a whole lot of grit, and a community that believed in him.

Every kid kicking a ball around a park in Nashua deserves that same kind of runway. They deserve the chance to see someone a few steps ahead of them and think, “Maybe that could be me.”

That’s what opportunity does.

It makes possibility feel real.

Growing the Mission, Staying True to the Heart

As Turtle Ridge Foundation continues to grow from our grassroots beginnings into a larger national footprint, one thing has not changed: we care deeply about real, human impact.

Whether we’re helping fund adaptive equipment, supporting youth sports programs, or investing in a summer of free community coaching, the goal is the same.

We want to help people access the tools, community, and belief they need to thrive.

We are incredibly grateful to be part of Black Rock FC’s work this season and proud to support the athletes, coaches, families, and kids who make this community so special.

We’ll see you out on the pitch in Nashua, cheering on the next generation as they dream, believe, and succeed.