When I was searching for a nonprofit organization that I wanted to personally sponsor on Make the Difference Network, I was immediately attracted to Grassroot Soccer because of the extremely important issue they address and their unique use of “the beautiful game” (that’s soccer in case you didn’t know) as a community building and educational tool in the fight against HIV/Aids. “Using the power of soccer in the fight against AIDS, Grassroot Soccer provides African youth with the knowledge, skills and support to live HIV free.” The goals of Grassroot Soccer is to put 1.25 million African children through their HIV/Aids awareness program by 2010, utilize soccer and powerful role models to help educate kids on HIV/Aids, and to become the most effective education and life-skills curriculum in Africa. It seems like they’re on the right track!
Here’s a brief history of this great organization: “Grassroot Soccer, Inc. became a registered 501(c)3 charitable organization in 2002. Founder, Tommy Clark, MD conceived of the idea after having played soccer professionally in Zimbabwe where he witnessed first hand both the devastation of HIV and the fanatical popularity of soccer. Together with a group of friends who had similar experiences, he and co-founders Methembe Ndlovu, Ethan Zohn and Kirk Friedrich created Grassroot Soccer. The core group traveled to Zimbabwe in 2002 and with the support of advisory board member, Albert Bandura, consultants and local stakeholders, developed and piloted an interactive soccer-themed HIV prevention curriculum that was first implemented in Zimbabwe in 2003. After a positive independent evaluation of the project by The Children’s Health Council, a Stanford University affiliate group, GRS received a three-year program grant in 2005 from The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to expand its work.”
Grassroot Soccer Co-founder Ethan Zohn
Ethan Zohn, one of the co-founders of GRS and winner of “Survivor” Africa has recently embarked on an amazing “dribble journey” to help raise awareness and funds for Grassroot Soccer. Ethan will be dribbling a soccer ball for 550 miles, 10 to 15 miles a day, leaving from the Gillette stadium in Boston and ending up in D.C. on December 1st for World Aids Day. Along the way, Ethan plans to stop at numerous middle and high schools to teach students and have discussions about HIV/Aids. Although this trip is focused on promoting the work that Ethan and GRS focuses on in Africa, they also hope to educate many kids in America about the dangers and rising numbers of HIV/Aids in our own domestic communities.
I’ve been in contact with Ethan recently as one of GRS’s biggest supporters and I hope to join him at some point in his campaign and spend a few days dribbling in support of this cause. I’ll let you guys know any details of my participation in this project as it progresses. If you’d like to support Grassroot Soccer please check out their MTDN nonprofit profile and make a donation if you can! Also, click here to see the full Article on Ethan’s 550 mile journey!
For my first Nonprofit Spotlight, I wanted to highlight a new Nonprofit organization that I just started volunteering with called School on Wheels. School on Wheels was created by a woman named Agnes Stevens who, after reading a book about the homelessness problem in the U.S. and the strains this puts on homeless children’s education, began teaching/tutoring a small group of homeless children in Santa Monica in a park. Here’s a quick excerpt from the website about the mission of school on wheels:
“The mission of School on Wheels is the enhancement of educational opportunities for homeless children from kindergarten through twelfth grade. Our goal is to shrink the gaps in their education and provide them with the highest education possible. We do this by offering:
• One-on-one weekly tutoring
• Backpacks, school supplies and school uniforms
• A toll-free number for kids to keep in touch with us
(800-923-1100)
• Assistance in entering school
• Help in locating lost records
• Parent guidance in educational matters for their children.
We reach out and provide services to all homeless children. School on Wheels has not, does not, and will not discriminate with respect to gender, race, color, religion, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation or any or all classifications protected by applicable state or federal discrimination laws, whether in regard to employment or to those to whom we provide services.”
I know that was a little more than a quick excerpt, but I really wanted to give you guys a sense of the important focus of School on Wheels. I heard about School on Wheels through my work with MTDN and I decided that this was organization that I personally wanted to be involved with. I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy a fairly stable family life (whose family life is really all that stable though) and I know how difficult school can be for anyone, and remember occasionally getting frustrated when I couldn’t figure out how to do my own homework. I thought if I had the opportunity the help a young person work through some of those tough homework sessions, provide some additional help outside school, and potentially be a bit of a mentor to someone who might need a little direction, then how could I say no.
I had my first introductory tutoring session with my student Michelle and her mother Lorena this Tuesday. Although I was a little unsure initially, as I am with many things I’ve never done before, the moment I met Michelle I knew that this would be a great learning experience for both of us. She’s a beautiful little girl, very precocious, not shy at all, and I think she’s faster than me at her multiplication flash cards already. I might be in trouble in that department. You can tell that this girl is very bright and I hope that I can provide some additional help and be one more positive influence in her life.
I’ve just started my tutoring sessions with Michelle and I promise to keep my readers (I just going to keep referring to “my readers” until I actually get some) up to date with how the tutoring sessions are progressing. Also, if you think you might be interested in tutoring a child, please click on the links to Schools On Wheels (link) and check it out! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Justin
Here’s a brief history of this great organization: “Grassroot Soccer, Inc. became a registered 501(c)3 charitable organization in 2002. Founder, Tommy Clark, MD conceived of the idea after having played soccer professionally in Zimbabwe where he witnessed first hand both the devastation of HIV and the fanatical popularity of soccer. Together with a group of friends who had similar experiences, he and co-founders Methembe Ndlovu, Ethan Zohn and Kirk Friedrich created Grassroot Soccer. The core group traveled to Zimbabwe in 2002 and with the support of advisory board member, Albert Bandura, consultants and local stakeholders, developed and piloted an interactive soccer-themed HIV prevention curriculum that was first implemented in Zimbabwe in 2003. After a positive independent evaluation of the project by The Children’s Health Council, a Stanford University affiliate group, GRS received a three-year program grant in 2005 from The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to expand its work.”
