KANSAS CITY, Mo. — KC Courage defender Ann Murphy is a finalist for the MLS Works Community MVP with the winner to be announced at the 2018 MLS All Star Game in Atlanta on Wednesday.

Murphy, a police officer in Kansas City, Missouri, volunteers almost her entire spare time directing Youth R.I.S.E, a non-profit organization she founded that provides mentoring and soccer opportunities to almost 200 at-risk boys in Kansas City.

R.I.S.E. is an acronym for Resilience, Influence, Support and Education. The youth players are held to a high academic standard as part of the program. 

Murphy, who had an assist in this year's derby match vs. Kansas City Athletics on June 3, is working on her PhD dissertation on youth mentorship and gang prevention.

"One thing I know is that trophies fade and life goes on, but what is left at the end of the day is the relationships that we nurture, protect and keep at the forefront of what really matters in life,” KC Courage owner Wendy Louque said.

Voting for the 2018 MLS WORKS Community MVP is ongoing at mlsworkscmvp.com through Tuesday. Murphy is the nominee from the Sporting Kansas City organization.

Fans can vote once every 24 hours via the site or on Twitter. Instructions for voting are at mlsworkscmvp.com.