In her own words Caleigh expresses her passion for the game & and the sense of giving.  “I love to play soccer and currently play on 2 teams. I play for my town in the BAYS League in the state of Massachusetts and I play club soccer for Mass Premier Soccer (MPS). In celebration of my 10th bday instead of asking my friends to bring me gifts I asked if they could bring soccer gear. After a lot of research my mom and I found PeacePassers and thought it was perfect! It is hard for me to understand that there are some kids my age who don’t get to play just because they don’t have the equipment. I love to play so much that I wanted to do my part to try and change that. My friends and teammates were so generous and brought some wonderful things that we now get to share with those who need it most.”

Caleigh successfully collected 36 pairs of youth size boots, 15 pairs of shingaurds, 10 balls, and 4 socks!

We at PeacePassers thank Caleigh & her teammates for their kindness. Best of luck for your upcoming Spring soccer season in New England!

During the week of February 14-21, 14 students and five faculty from Covenant Day School in Matthews, NC traveled to Les Cayes, Haiti to serve with El Shaddai ministries in local orphanages. El Shaddai oversees 12 orphanages and over 2000 orphans. Most of the kids are seeking refuge from the poverty that permeates this beautiful island and some have lost their parents in recent devastating hurricanes. While there we spent time painting, doing crafts, singing songs with the kids, and playing a lot of soccer under the hot Haitian sun.

Thanks to donations from PeacePassers, we were able to supply uniforms to all the kids at Cambry orphanage and soccer equipment to seven different orphanages! Any initial anxiety about our ability to communicate were dispelled shortly after our arrival at Cambry, when a little boy approached, noticed our soccer gear, and made a kicking motion with his foot and pointed at the soccer field. It truly is a universal game and being able to share in it brought joy to both the orphans and us!

In every orphanage that we visited the kids had literally nothing of their very own, so it was overwhelming to see their excitement and gratitude at receiving uniforms of their own. The orphanages had “fields” ranging from grass to dirt to gravel, but at every one there was some sort of goal, whether it was made of wood, sticks, or stones. This was a powerful illustration of the simple joy that soccer can bring even in the most dire circumstances. Pulling a PeacePassers ball out of the bag never failed to cause a huge throng of kids to congregate in anticipation of playing. Many thanks to PeacePassers, North Meck Soccer Club, and Charlotte Jr. Soccer for providing us the means to bring a little joy into the lives of hundreds of kids in Haiti!

PeacePasser Volunteer Kari Cope

Haiti2009PeacePassers(KariCope)

CHARLOTTE, N.C.-  Queens University of Charlotte’s  Head Women’s Soccer Coach, Katie Talbert, in conjunction with the Queens Athletic Department, and the women’s soccer team, is a proud supporter and recent donator to the non-profit organization, Peace Passers.

The organization’s mission is to collect and distribute soccer supplies such as balls, jerseys, and shorts to less fortunate people all over the world; thereby increasing the quality of life through promoting mutual respect for others and positive human relationships in the lives of the recipients through the love of sports.

Talbert has been supportive of the Peace Passers mission by donating Queens jerseys and shorts from previous seasons that the team is not longer using.  Talbert’s first donation occurred in the spring of 2008, and then once again in the fall of 2008.   “We really enjoy helping facilitate the growth of the game,” said Talbert, who plans to donate again in the fall of 2009. “We are looking forward to expanding that by providing copies of our drill books for player development.”

To date, the jerseys donated by Queens have been distributed to San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, and an orphanage in Ethiopia. Another bag of gear is heading to Moshi, Tanzania to the area near Mt. Kilimanjaro.

The motto of Queens University of Charlotte, Non ministrari sed ministrare, “not to be served, but to serve” rings clearly for one Queen’s alum, Candace Cooper, ’03, who has gone on to promote  service and charitable giving through her creation of the organization Peace Passers.

As an avid soccer player throughout her childhood and into her college days, with a fond love for travel to exotic and remote locations, Cooper realized the connection that the sport of soccer held in terms of promoting social change in the communities she visited.  “The nature of the game inherently creates harmony and unity, serving as a way to spread joy and peace across cultural and economic boundaries,” said Cooper.

Soccer provides a universal language for Cooper and her team of Peace Passers, who see that no matter where you are in the world, despite a language barrier, people understand the game of soccer, and it can bring joy and freedom to those who play in spite of their current living circumstances.

Talbert has also put Cooper into contact with other coaches around the state, with the knowledge that teams frequently change their brand sponsorships and can therefore no longer use old gear. Cooper notes that the donations are like a form of recycling, “What purpose are they serving sitting in storage collecting dust, or just tossed aside,” said Cooper. “The core of our mission is to collect new and used soccer gear and re-distribute to areas in need.”

Peace Passers is extraordinarily grateful for the donations because Cooper understands that an old ball or jersey to a child here in the United States, is a brand new ball or jersey to a child living in Nicaragua or Africa.  “We are more than happy to donate to such a worthy cause,” says Talbert, “Because this is one simple way to bring joy to so many people, and it is made easy for us because of all the hard work and sweat Candace has put in. I hope that others will feel encouraged to donate as well.”