Today we were able to deliver 30 balls, along with gently used jerseys, shoes, and other gear to one of our favorite places in Chattanooga, TN. It was such a great afternoon with fun kids, who were thrilled to play soccer and take home their "new" equipment and balls.
 1Ball1Goal presented 50 balls and jerseys to a soccer club in Spanish Wells, Bahamas. It was rewarding to share the balls and t-shirts with the kids of the island. It was rewarding at the end of the day to see children running down playing with the balls! 
1Ball1Goal presented 50 soccer balls and 50 jerseys to the kids of Harbour Island. It was a hot day and the kids were slow to come out and join us but we had about 40 kids come out for four hours and play soccer with us. There were lots of laughs and a few tears when it was time to say good-bye!    It was tough during the height of COVID to deliver soccer balls but we did manage to bring 40 soccer balls to the children of Chattanooga on a beautiful day!   John Waller is a proud Liberian immigrant to the United States who currently plays professional soccer for Atlantic City FC. John and I met via social media a few years ago when I encountered his Lansing, MI based organization, Summerplace United, that supports the children of the SummerPlace Townhomes, many of whom are children of refugees. This winter, John had the opportunity to travel back to his home country of Liberia to give back to a place that means so much to him. We were excited to support his mission by sending along 25 soccer balls for him to spread the love of the game. During his trip, John visited three orphanages and schools to deliver school supplies, 1Ball1Goal soccer balls, and other essential goods, as well as to share his wide breath of knowledge with the children. For more information on John's trip home visit https://www.woodtv.com/news/muskegon-county/liberian-immigrant-gives-back-dont-give-up-continue-to-believe.
 We had a great time with East Side Elementary School's 5th grade class. They were such fun kids and some of them were really good soccer players. Once each kid had a shirt we played a quick game and left each of the classes with their own balls for many more games to come!   Had an awesome day with the Pre-K kids of Chambliss's after school program. It was so fun seeing the huge smiles on their faces. Check out chamblisscenter.org to see more about the amazing work they do with the children of Chattanooga! 
 Thanks to Johnnie Waller and The Summerplace United crew for having us to come play soccer and drop some balls and jerseys with the awesome kids of Summerplace Townhomes, a community with a number of refugee families from all around the world. Check out summerplaceunited.org to see the awesome work they're doing in Lansing!
The video linked above shows scenes from Chattanooga Sports Ministries' 6th Annual Neighborhood Cup. From CSM's facebook: "The Cup, is CSM’s annual futsal tournament open to youth ages 5-15. More than just a tournament, the Cup creates space for connection between diverse groups of people in our community, uniting them through the game of soccer. All proceeds go to supporting Chattanooga Sports Ministries." We had the awesome opportunity to donate some official match balls for the event!
Just a day after Thanksgiving we had the incredible opportunity to deliver 48 balls to the children from the Tacubaya District in Mexico City! The excitement of the kids was amazing!
 As part of a McCallie Automotive Club supply collection and delivery, we sent 92 new shirts and 36 soccer balls to children in Florida that had been impacted by Hurricane Irma. The gear traveled over eight hours to Tampa, Winter Haven, and the Keys in a trailer driven by the compassionate McCallie man pictured above!
 Torrential rains and a field of mud did not deter the 1Ball1Goal team from delivering 20 balls and 30 jerseys to Gig's Soccer Academy in Soufrière, in the shadow of one of St. Lucia's Piton peaks!    1Ball1Goal presented 20 balls and 30 jerseys to Vieux Fort Primary School
 At first strangers -- then friends -- after a pick-up scrimmage with Dennery village teenagers  Getting to know each other while planning some strategic soccer moves!  1Ball1Goal brought the Dennery Primary School 50 balls, school supplies, and 30 jerseys. Dennery was the site of a 2015 service trip to teach village children to swim in local waters with dangerous ocean currents. The 2017 return trip by the 1Ball1Goal team was just as rewarding!
 1Ball1Goal played some great soccer one morning with the team from Marigot Bay, while getting some great coaching, too. 1Ball1Goal brought 30 balls to this program, along with 30 jerseys. Good luck, Team Marigot!
  The Director of Haymu Primary School gives a grateful hug for the gift of 1Ball1Goal soccer balls  Soit Sambu Secondary School students celebrate a new dorm and new soccer balls!  Students at the Sukenya Primary School pose with 1Ball1Goal jerseys before heading to the playground to play!  Staging a three-school delivery of 30 balls and 50 jerseys in Tanzania  Ball1Goal brought 10 balls and 30 soccer jerseys to Sekolah Dasar No. 4 Tau Primary School in Bali-Indonesia, bringing delight and joy to some young faces  These hand signals work in any language!  Palomino and Alang Elementary School children, ages three to ten, welcome the 1Ball1Goal team    A service project in Ecuador includes the delivery of 70 jerseys, 15 pairs of cleats, 20 pairs of soccer socks, and 5 balls through 1Ball1Goal  On Saturday April 16, 2016, the McCallie soccer team and Coach "Cush" (Christopher Cushenbery) welcomed 40 children from Chattanooga Sports Ministries -- a nonprofit that mentors at-risk youth through soccer -- to the McCallie campus to attend a 1Ball1Goal sponsored soccer clinic. Each attendee was given a ball, a shirt, and three hours of instruction. 
 In 2012, our family had the opportunity to travel to Tanzania. From that experience, this project was born. The goal is to bring soccer balls to places that have had an impact on me. Our hope is that the soccer balls and donated jerseys will be valuable tools for uniting people. Soccer is a healthy outlet for kids to be themselves, it’s universally loved, and it has the unique ability to bring people together. Help us spread joy to children in these places -- and more -- by funding soccer balls, jerseys, and other soccer equipment. Thank you for considering partnering with us to better the lives of hundreds of children around the world.
01/09/2023 We are thrilled to provide an update on our progress! In the seven years since we started 1Ball1Goal, we have donated over 650 soccer and hundreds lightly used jerseys in 20 different locations, both at home and across the world. Our numerous drops have included both soccer balls and gently used soccer gear, including soccer cleats, shirt, jerseys and shin guards! It has been extremely rewarding to see the kids so excited to receive their new gear and we have learned so much about the world along the way. Thank you to everyone that has made this project possible up to this point. We are grateful for honor and your trust in trying to make a tiny difference in each and every child with whom we have had the privilege to play soccer with along the way! |
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