In July 2010 I was contacted by Lori McCaffrey from the Kickers Soccer Club in Aurora, IL. Lori recognized that the club had extra soccer balls, pinnies, whistles, and duffle bags donated from Dicks Sporting Goods. She took initiative to get the extra items boxed up and shipped out to Charlotte, NC. In the same fashion I was also contacted by Ronell Uran from Sartell High School (Sartell, MN) who sent an email explaining, “I am a coach at Sartell High School and have two sets of jerseys that I would like to donate. I have 40 white jerseys and 34 blue jerseys from the company High 5. They were used for my junior high teams.” Overall Coach Ronell boxed up and shipped 98 jerseys to Peace Passers.

Once received in Charlotte the circle of giving continued on with a connection to the Charlotte Eagles Soccer club. In our 4th donation to the Charlotte Eagles we were able to connect these items to their August 2010 mission trip to Kenya. Mitch Sanford (International Tour Director Charlotte Eagles) explained the “camps were held at a high school (almost all secondary schools in Kenya are boarding schools) in Mpeketoni, Kenya where we could house and feed all the boys. They also had two soccer fields on campus. There were about 80 boys from 5 different villages in the coastal region of Kenya. Most of these boys live in mud huts with thatch roofs and dirt floors. The Eagles and New Life Homes (the ministry we partner with over there) have been training coaches the past few years.”
Thanks to Lori, the Kickers Soccer Club, Coach Ronell, and the partnership with Mitch and the Charlotte Eagles for participating in the Peace Passers circle of giving back to the game.

Check out more photos of this story on our facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/peacepassers

Payton Rudnick, a Tucson soccer player for many years, realized that many kids worldwide would love to have the soccer experience but just needed some good equipment. Payton spent time researching for an organization that he could team-up with that accepted equipment and then distributed it throughout the world. He found Peace Passers and contacted us about setting up his project.

Payton’s Mitzvah project is to bring joy to other kids around the world by raising $2500, 250 soccer balls, and 250 team jerseys and then shipping them to Peace Passers. The project will continue from now through next April, 2011. Payton will be having booths for donations at all of the major soccer tournaments throughout Pima County. Take a look at his website: http://givethroughsoccer.com/

We are excited for his participation in The Tucson Soccer Academy tournament this weekend, Sept. 17, 18 and 19, where Payton’s fundraising efforts will begin. http://www.tucsonsocceracademy.com/tournament/index_E.html

Peace Passers would like to recognize Payton for launching this project and paving the way for other youth to be inspired by his service leadership. Special thanks to TSA, Play It Again Sports and Peter Piper Pizza in Tucson for supporting the project efforts thus far. We are excited for what Payton has set to accomplish!

St. Augustine, FL we completed the donation of soccer equipment to the Youth and
Young Adult Network of National Farm Worker Ministry. Thanks goes out to our friends at Creeks Soccer in Jacksonville for providing the equipment. We are very happy that is was able to be used locally for a good cause. There are 1000s of farm workers and their families that are provided very little throughout Florida. Please read more about the story by clicking the link below.

http://www.nfwm-yaya.org/serendipity/index.php?%2Farchives%2F206-A-Summer-of-Soccer-Fun!.html

Recently (July, 2010) a group of 10 members from Unity Presbyterian Church in Fort Mill, South Carolina, traveled to Honduras on a mission trip through PC USA. They carried a supply of soccer balls, shoes, cones from Peace Passers to the children there. This Presbyterian team helped build houses in a small village called Copantle, in the Department of Copan. Some of the balls were given to the school in this community.

Emily Morris of Unity Presbyterian Church in Fort Mill, SC presents a soccer ball to the children of the small community of Copantle in Honduras. Soccer equipment provided by Peace Passers were donated to the school in Copantle.

The majority of the equipment from Peace Passers, along with shirts and shoes brought by the Unity team were give to a boy’s home in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras. The boy’s home, called El Hogar Diamante, provides training in a safe, educational environment for orphaned boys and for boys whose families cannot care for them. “The soccer balls brought great joy to the children we met in Honduras. We were thankful for the partnership with Peace Passers,” stated Joyce Sullivan, the leader of the Unity team.

A big HAPPY BIRTHDAY and thank you to Alex from Riverside, CA for collecting brand new soccer balls at his recent birthday party to be donated to the PeacePassers. We are always excited to hear from young soccer fans who recognize their ability to give back to the game. In planning for donating to our organization, his mom Mary tells us “The fact that it was soccer related was perfect since he had a soccer birthday party.” Seven year-old Alex shipped the 7 new soccer balls, cones, and pump to a member of our PeacePassers family, Cameron Cooper in San Francisco, CA. Alex’s soccer balls will then be headed to a school in Fort Portal, Uganda on August 18 with a group organized by the Global Nurse Initiative (www.globalnurseinitiative.org). Thanks to Nicole Stannard, RN & Clinical Director for GNI in volunteering to meet up with Cam & take these soccer balls to the school kids in Uganda. Another stellar example is set, in giving back to the beautiful game!