The Pop Warner football and cheer program in Chester has become a haven for adolescents and teenagers living in the midst of poverty and violence, writes Erin McCarthy for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The Chester Cougars attract budding athletes between the ages of 5 and 15. Most of the program’s 225 football players and cheerleaders are from Chester, allegedly the most dangerous city in Pennsylvania.

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The team has already lost five members over the last eight years to gun violence. The latest victim was 16-year-old linebacker Zion Abdullah, who was shot while on his way to Chester High School.

As one of the oldest cities in the state, Chester was once a manufacturing hub that has been in decline since the 1970s. Today, nearly half of Chester’s 8,000 children live in poverty, despite being close to some of the country’s wealthiest suburbs.

“The biggest challenge is keeping the kids off the streets,” said Jamal “Coach Shake” Allen.

And even after practice is over, the coaches are there as mentors.

“They teach you more about life,” said linebacker Tariq Lawler, “how to be a better person.”

Read more about the Chester Cougars in the Philadelphia Inquirer by clicking here.