Five year-old Keller from Greenville, NC has us all smiling big. For his recent birthday party he collected 15 brand new soccer balls for Peace Passers. Keller has been playing soccer since he was three and his family thought he would enjoy collecting soccer balls for other children.  His father Todd explained “He was a bit confused at first (I guess most 5 yr olds would be) but when we explained to him that the soccer balls were to help other people make friends all over the world, he became very excited.”

We also learned from his parents that Keller not only loves soccer but is also fascinated by surfing, so it sounds like he has a lot in common with the Peace Passers team!

Todd & Alisa said “The outcome was wonderful. Keller had a great party and because he was able to actually drop the balls off (to Peace Passers), he understood his contribution a bit more. That made it real. The idea of bringing a soccer ball to a birthday party to donate to other kids seemed normal to his friends. That was the best feeling , observing their innate generosity.”

We’d like to thank Keller and his friends for setting such a great example in the gift of giving. All of us at Peace Passers wish you & your family a very Happy Holiday Season!

We are excited to give credit to fellow soccer player Jake for completing an exceptional soccer cleat collection drive in Chatham, NJ. Jake recently collected 190 pairs of soccer boots from his local soccer community. The recent donation from Jake will help in our collaboration with Playforhope.org and their efforts in establishing long term, sustainable sports growth to the youth of Rwanda. They work to keep kids off the street by providing children with holisitic ministry and professional level coaching. Part of the vision with Playforhope is to train coaches to use sports to love “the least of these.”  The coaches will learn sporting skills, discipleship skills, and ministry tools to reach the hurting youth of Rwanda.  Coaches will be given equipment to serve the communities in which they live. We are pleased to contribute to these endeavors by donating soccer equipment and would like to thank Brian Beckman & RJ Johnson from Playforhope.org for continuing their great work.

We’d like to give a special thank you to our good friends, and newlyweds Brooks & Natasha Kittrell.  On October 23rd, 2009 — surrounded by family & friends in Asheville, North Carolina the Kittrells became official. Officially married! Rather than spending money on a typical wedding favor such as sugared almonds, a magnet, or a small random gift for their guests, the Kittrells decided to think outside the wedding planner box and make a donation to their favorite charity. Yes, that would be the PeacePassers! The former Natasha Walker grew up playing the game of soccer and recognizes the value it can bring to others. In 2007 she experienced & survived a trip to Nicaragua with the Coopers, sparking her interest and support for the global spirit of the sport.  The recent Kittrell donation made to PeacePassers is an exceptional way to celebrate their marriage and give back in such a unique way. We wish you endless years of love, happiness, and lots of kids with soccer balls!

Tasha & Brooks showing support for PeacePassers on their honeymoon in Paris, France.

In September 2009 Nina Chenault joined the mission team from University Park Baptist (Charlotte, NC) traveling to serve areas in East Africa. Volunteering to collaborate with Peace Passers, Nina took 24 soccer balls and soccer field cones to Isiolo, Kenya. With the donated equipment Nina and the mission team held soccer clinics and skills lessons, and were even surprised to learn that the kids wanted to play volleyball too…with their new soccer balls! We are happy support this group and have recently made another donation, this time in soccer jerseys, to support their next mission trip upcoming for December 2009. We look forward to continuing the collaborative teamwork to spread the joy of soccer to all.

To view more pictures from Kenya click here

The Haitian Project is a Catholic Mission which supports and operates Louverture Cleary School (LCS), a tuition-free, Catholic, co-educational secondary boarding school for economically under-privileged Haitian children.

Scotty Herlihy met with Christina Moynihan and Susan Prince at a fundraiser in Memphis, TN at Cafe Ole. Scotty passed along 10 Soccer balls to be used at the school. A special thanks goes out to Chris Allen of LaunchMemphis and Derek Naylor of Celtic Crossing Pub and Restaurant for their contributions.