Dear Supporter,
I am
writing you because you have supported me in the work I have been doing in
Rwanda over the last several years. I am
incredibly grateful for everything that you and many others have done and all
you have given to make some wonderful things happen. We are on the brink of something HUGE and I
wanted to fill you in the details as I continue to ask for your support. First, here is what has been accomplished
through your support over the last two years:
When
I did the first training 2 years ago, there were around 250 kids in the Play
for Hope programs and no trained coaches.
Within six months of the first two trips/trainings that you facilitated
through your giving, that number had jumped to ten trained coaches and about
850 kids in the program. That’s 850
(that number is up to 1,000 now) poor children, many of them homeless, that
have been given mentorship, a place to belong, a team to be a part of, and an
opportunity to thrive that they did not have before because our coaches were
prepared to lead.
-
We
have opened Heroes Soccer Academy. We
now have a full team of boys, who were mostly living in a landfill (yes, a
garbage dump) before, in full-time school and academy soccer training. They are living in a home with trained Play
for Hope Coaches that has been funded by Play for Hope Supporters all over the
world.
http://playforhope.org/academy.html
- We
now have 7 paid full time coaches and one paid assistant. They are some of the most respected and
highly trained coaches in Rwanda. Many
of them come from desperately poor situations (many from the streets
themselves) and are now able to do what they love and are gifted at as well as
provide for their families. Your support
of my endeavors was the giving that spawned this.
- We
are taking the lead in empowerment for female athletes. Our girls, as well as boys, are now being
called upon to tryout for the youth national teams and there is a new respect
being achieved for female athletes…and the girls are loving it.
These are some of the highlights,
among many. Now, for what is to come and
the reason I am calling on you for supports once again:
My life is madness nowadays with
graduate school, work, a brand new baby girl, and coaching as much as
possible. In spite of the lack of time,
I have been able to explore a new connection for Play for Hope and December’s
trip is about this.
Steve Zakuani of the Seattle
Sounders is one of the young stars of the MLS – he is also a man who has a
heart for the poor and disenfranchised children and wants to do something about
giving them opportunities to achieve greatness.
His non-profit organization Kingdom Hope (http://kingdom-hope.org) is
seeking to build academies around the world that would give an opportunity to
those without an opportunity – to become what they were created to be and
achieve greatness in life and sport. As
he and I have cultivated a relationship, we have begun asking what we could accomplish
together and so he has agreed to accompany me to Rwanda this December, in spite
of his insane schedule, and examine closely the possibility of building an
academy that would facilitate our goals and dreams in Play for Hope as well as
those of Kingdom Hope. We are prepared
to receive him and what we hope will come from this is the greatest soccer
academy in East Africa and a way to provide opportunities for the poor children
of Rwanda at a completely new level.
Here’s what would happen if we succeed:
- Opportunity
to play through fields and transport: the key to everything in soccer. Our players train on what can only be
described as cement dirt with patches of grass and goats around them that
becomes clay-mud when it rains. It is
very very difficult to train well when the ball can’t roll. Even our Heroes Academy boys train on a field
that is unthinkably bad. The few turf
fields that exist in the country are very expensive to train on. We would also be able to purchase vehicles to
facilitate games for our kids.
- Food
– those living at the academy, like those at Heroes Academy would be given
healthcare and regular nutrition.
- Education
– we would build a school to educate and empower our kids. Many of them don’t have any education at
all….it is our dream to prepare them for life….education is the key.
- Truth
– mentorship, direction, and the truth of God’s love would be the foundation of
the curriculum in our school.
Anyway, you can see why I am
excited about this. So, here’s what I am
asking and hoping for. Travel is still
very expensive to Rwanda – I have to raise $3,000 for my airfare and room and
board to be able to make this work. I am
hoping and praying for your support and am so grateful for everything you have
provided for over the years. I wish each
and every one of you could see with your own eyes what has been accomplished
through your help. Donation info is as
such (I travel in mid-December):
2. You
can mail donations (made out to Play for Hope with nothing in the memo line) to
me at 2315 NE 27th St. Renton, WA
98056.
3. You
can call me and we can get together for coffee and talk about everything and
discuss it then. (-: I would love to do
that.
Thank you from the bottom of my
heart for all of your love and help.
What we’re doing over there is so big…..and you are the key. God Bless…..
In
His Spirit,