Peace Passers would like to thank the following people for helping
make our first ever charity event a huge success:
Alexis Batista & Irma – Owners of Dolce Vita (Venue)
Nick Bruno – Heineken USA
Alejandra Buchanan – adidas America
Dilworth Neighborhood Bar & Grill – Food donations
Kate Mullally (Co-Host with HermanaCoop)
Jared Yerg (asissted w/planning)
Kevin Mchugh (PeacePassers cornhole) + $50 donation (this guy rules)
We would like to give a special thanks to our top donators. Muchas
Gracias to the following supporters:
Kristy Walker
Irma Wolfe
John Osborne
Charles and Jamie Morgan
Bryan Guidros
Joe Santucci
Michelle Jenkins
PLUS….everyone who played the raffle and bought shirts, koozies, etc.
= over $700 for the event. yeah!!!
Thanks also goes out to the Sporting Charlotte VIP appearances by:
Natasha Walker, Nicole Baird, Marissa Baird, Corissa Reese, Heather
Sakaduski, Lindsey Kolbrek, Maria Housiadas, Sara Frye
And Congratulations to our 2 lucky winners who rode away from the event on the raffled PeacePassers cruisers hand painted by the lovely Liz!
Ricardo DeSoto – winner of "The Wave" cruiser
Lindsey Kolbrek – winner of the "Soul Rebel" cruiser
Donate at least $10 to the Peace Passers fund today and we will send you one.
Donations to the Peace Passers Fund helps us with shipping costs for sending
soccer gear and equipment to Central America and Africa.
It’s the Peace Passers Charity Event @ Dolce Vita in NoDa! This is just a friendly reminder to make sure you have the upcoming SundayFunday on your calendar. So get out your highlighter, pen, sharpie, blackberry, iphone, outlook, reminder tools and mark the date right up!
The fun begins at 1:00pm and into the afternoon/evening. Feel free to stop by at any time!
We received some news from our friends at Nicaragua Surf Report today:
“Currently the reigning league champs, Team NSR is proudly sporting new uniforms donated by the Peace Passers. The new uniform’s are obviously good luck, Team NSR dominated the game yesterday and posted a convincing 5 – 0 win. The team remains undefeated at 2 – 0 this season.” NicaraguaSurfReport.com
The Peace Passers have filed for 501c3 tax deductible recognition. Please check back with us in a month to get more information.
Soccer balls, shoes, socks and uniforms are needed. This can be done through direct contribution of supplies and/or through monetary donations for shipping fees. To learn more about ways to be involved with the Peace Passers >>Click Here
Mac Stone, a Photographer from Gainesville, Florida has been working for two years in Las Mangas, Honduras for a non-profit called Guaruma. The organization concentrates its efforts in the east sector of Pico Bonito National Park where students have the opportunity to enroll in a local environmental education project. The students from Las Mangas range in ages 8 to 17.
Mac recently met up with the Peacepassers to take some of your gear donations to the children of Las Mangas. The soccer team in Las Mangas is one of many in the river valley area.Every weekend they get together to play other teams in the area, sometimes they travel to the city of La Ceiba for tournaments. The donation of uniforms and equipment was well received and the children quickly fought over their favorite numbers. This weekend (May 2nd) will be their first game with the new jerseys.
Come out and support Peacepassers.org first charity event here in Charlotte, NC. Peacepassers is dedicated to collecting and distributing basic soccer supplies to people in areas less fortunate than our own. The game of soccer is universal and anyone who has ever touched a soccer ball knows the joy it brings! We encourage you to come out on Sunday, June 8th and bring new or used jerseys, boots, soccer balls, etc.
We will enjoy a Sunday Funday afternoon filled with positive musical vibes and will also have corn-hole & pingpong tournaments for your competitive pleasure….
Hope to see you all there
We suggest you roll up on your boards and bikes! for the Dolce Vita VIP parking.
San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua
The Peace Passers team have sponsored a 10-12 yr olds’ league in San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua. This is our first official monetary donation. The $250 donation will help maintain the league and pay for the referees, coaches, and scoring table which will create a good level of structure for the kids. Thank you for your kind donations that have made this first sponsorship take place. We have also donated a full set of uniforms, 20 balls, socks, pumps, and one soccer net.
Peace Passer attendees: Caleb Cooper and Marley Hagerstrom.
This morning, I woke up to the sound of roosters crowing and dogs barking. A truck drives by full of fresh fruit with a man on the megaphone saying “Pina, aguacate, platano!” The offshore wind blows and I am cooled off momentarily. This morning feels especially good in Nicaragua because of the events that took place last night. I witnessed approximately 100 kids from San Juan Del Sur gather at the local community center ‘Comunidad Connect’ in great anticipation of the upcoming games.
As I walk through the gates of the cement court, I nearly get hit by a kid on his bike pedaling away from a friend who is trying to rip him off it at the same time. The chase continues into the middle of the court where a “futbol sala” league game is being played but the kids continue playing like nothing has happened. The field is the size of a typical basketball court so that both sports can be played on the same space. The Chaos is topped with smiles, laughter and the sound of Latin funk blaring from the speakers in the background. “These kids are having fun” were the first words to come out of my mouth.
I feel proud of the Peace Passers Team and friends immediately b/c of the feeling that our cause has really gained some true meaning and momentum. Unexpected generosity is one thing to give when handing a ball out of the window to a complete stranger who replies “si” when you ask if he plays futbol in broken Spanish. But a true team effort in raising enough money to sponsor this league which has a spring and fall season is something completely different. The kids are all trying extremely hard as their parents cheer them on in the stadium seating surrounding the court. One of the forwards on the yellow team scores a goal and runs over the crowd with his arms out like an airplane. Sweet.
6 hours earlier, after carrying two boards and a full ‘bag of soccer’ through the border of Costa Rica and Nicaragua, I am relieved to get offered the use of a cell phone from a local Nicaraguan who sees the panic in my face when I realize my ride is nowhere to be found. I call Jon Thompson and he tells me he is right around the corner. When he pulls up I immediately get a good vibe or ‘Buena onda’ from the stranger that I only know through emails and internet chat initiated by one of the Peace Passer team members Seany Frye. Jon is highly influential in the guidance of two non profit groups including Comunidad Connect in SJDS, Nicaragua. A guy that has done more for the town and people of SJDS that most would be ashamed to compare to. I give the stranger who lent me his phone a ball from the bag and we pull away as he points to the Adidas symbol and says “bueno.”
After being honored in front the crowd and given a true ‘futbol sala’ ball signed by all of the team coaches, a local dad leans over to me and says “Muchas Gracias”. “Con mucho gusto” (much pleasure) I reply. Not two minutes later, I look up to see the words ‘Buena onda’ painted on the brick wall facing the field. Then it strikes me, what we’re doing is spreading a good vibe to the people we encounter with the people that support us…a true team effort. The Peace Passers Team would like to thank everyone who has donated gear and monetary gifts. We appreciate your support and assistance in the continuation of spreading a Buena onda throughout the world.
