Peace Passin’ to Nicaragua

Thank you to Tracy Conklin & the mission team from Independence Hill Baptist Church (Huntersville, NC) for Passing the Peace to Santa Matilda , Nicaragua this past week.

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“As you can see the soccer balls are a true blessing to the children in the village and are replacing some that have gotten great use.” – Tracy Conklin

Shows the new soccer balls replacing the old beat up balls they had to play with!

Sisters Showing Service

Sisters Caitlin & Paige Jacobson hosted a collection drive for Peace Passers on April 12th at the Julian Brown Soccer Tournament sponsored by Charlotte United Futbol Club.

Caitlin & PaigeAnd while Paige was playing in the soccer tournament, friend Sara Kathryn McKormick stepped in to sit at the collection booth with Caitlin.

Friend Big thanks to the Jacobson sisters for showing an excellent example of service leadership on and off the field!

 

Women’s Team Represents in Spring Tourney Play

Peace Passers Women's team placed 3rd at the Western Carolina University Tournament on April 5, 2014

Peace Passers Women’s team placed 3rd at the Western Carolina University Tournament on April 5, 2014. One of the college players told us “you inspire me!”. Keep on keepin on!

Peace Passers Women's team had an awesome showing at the Queens University of Charlotte Spring tournament making it to the semi-finals!
Peace Passers Women’s team had an awesome showing at the Queens University of Charlotte Spring tournament on April 12, 2014 making it to the semi-finals! Way to represent!

 

Peace Passin’ New Jersey to Kenya

Gear sent from Shore Christian Center Church out of Wall, New Jersey arrived to Pastor Nathan Mukhwana in Kenya. Thanks to everyone that shipped donations for this distribution and special shout out to Judi Grobosky for helping coordinate receiving all of the donations in NJ. The kids were so excited to receive all of the amazing soccer equipment!

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Christian Callahan Scores Big with his Eagle Scout Service Project

These are the kind of stories worth announcing on the loud speaker. This past year, 14 year-old Christian Callahan from Foothills Ranch, CA has been working towards earning his Eagle Scout rank. Inspiring others in his community to give back Christian organized a free skills clinic for youth age 5-12 and encouraged each participant to bring a new or used soccer item to donate. Callahan worked diligently to communicate his Peace Passers project plan to teammates, coaches, parents, boy scouts and even made the local news in the process! By the end of the project Christian collected 710 pieces of soccer equipment and rallied 65 volunteers to help him sort, pack and count the gear.

To top it off Christian was able to secure a company to sponsor the shipment of gear to Decatur, GA where it will go to support Bridging the Gap Africa, serving youth and adults in Sierra Leone. The Barrie family is organizing a crate shipment to Sierra Leone this September so all of Christian’s gear donations will be traveling across the ocean by next month. Christian told Peace Passers “After the project it feels like a great accomplishment that you have done something good for the world.”
Thank you Christian and congratulations on your Eagle Scout rank!

Peace Passers gear donations reach Uganda with The Giving Circle Africa

(Jerseys donated for Peace Passers by University of Albany, NY Men’s Soccer Team)

Dear Peace Passers,

I wish you could have personally seen the great joy that your donations of soccer balls and gear brought to the children of Kagoma Gate and Busoga villages in Uganda. Kagoma Gate was deemed by the Ugandan Government in 2008 to be the poorest village in all of Uganda. Busoga is very near the bottom of that list. These children were first in shock, then amazed, then broke into very loud cheers of happiness and celebration when they realized that they were getting new clothes, shoes, and play equipment.

The soccer clothes replaced badly torn, threadbare, and ill fitting garments and have become the new clothing (the only set of clothing) for each person who received them. I saw them wearing these clothes every day with great pride. They have never even had shoes before. The soccer equipment gave them a chance to be children, to just play and laugh, a very bright spot in their very difficult days of trying just to survive the harsh conditions under which they live. We constructed soccer nets so the setting for playing a game was complete. And Busoga now has an official soccer team complete with matching uniforms.

Football as they call it there is THE sport of choice. They were grinning ear to ear as they donned the jerseys, T shirts, shorts, socks and shoes and formed teams. The sound of pure happiness filled the air. Thank you – each of you truly made a difference in the lives of these children. You brought radiant smiles to their faces, gave them a means to make their days a little more bearable, and clothed their bodies in what they considered great finery. Your warm hearts touched many across the continents. Thank you, thank you, thank you for caring and sharing. Testimony written by Denise Stasik with The Giving Circle Africa