Collect Pairs Of Sneakers & Soccer Cleats , Support Youth Environmental Entrepreneurship, Participate In Project Athletic Shoes,  and Build A Village

Schools and Universities Are Invited To Give The Cup Of Hope To The Children Of Honduras

Schools and Universities! You Have A Cup Of Hope To Share. Will You Share Your Cup?

Free Special Report by Dr. Carol Cross, Founder of Soccer For Life

Creating 21st Century Youth Leaders Through Sharing The Cup of Hope

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Schools and Universities Are Invited To Give The Cup Of Hope To The Children Of Honduras

The Daunting Task Of Schools and Universities In Developed Countries

Schools in developed countries like the US, Canada, European and developed Asian countries have a daunting task. They are required to create "cross culturally open" young people.  Yet parents are increasingly fearful of "those others" and want to keep their children  safe by exerting more and more control of their children's companions and friends.  In a world of AIDS, terrorist threats and the fear of Global Warming and the possibilities of oil shortages and other fearful possibilities, the natural desire would be to pull our children in closer to the "tried and true".  It would seem natural for parents to limit interactions with those among us who are different. 

Becoming More Insular Is Not The Solution In A Global Open World

Yet if we in the developed countries pull ourselves back, become insular, who will leaf our world in the future.  Most of our countries have an immigrant population and in a world of global airflights, there is no way to close the doors.  An even bigger problem is illegal immigration by those seeking work and a better life.  What will our children do about that?

If we pull back, continue to enjoy our way of life, others will come in illegally. And those who do not come will seek to destroy what they feel they can never have.  They have access to satellite TV and the internet.  They see us enjoying all those wonderful things.  I know they do not understand our history and how we worked to develop a culture that can have all these wonderful things.  We cannot explain it to them.  Because their cultures are based on the same traditions and ideals as ours they simply want to get the things we have worked for centuries to achieve.  It is not right to demand when you have not sown.  But in a world of anthrax, portable C4, suicide bombers, it really doesn't matter if it is right or wrong.  Our children will have to deal with this.

We Need To Establish a Framework For Teaching Our Children To Lead In An Unequal World

Whatever the facts, the resources available to children in countries like Honduras are not the same as well have.  To see the difference in just one thing, resources for playing soccer, CLICK HERE to discover There Are Two Soccer Worlds.  To see a photograph of the different resources available in Soccer World One and Soccer World Two, go to The Two Soccer Worlds.

If as simple a thing as the ability to play soccer is so disparate, it is not the only aspect of life that is unequal.  Food, clothing, schooling, clean water, transportation, communication, energy, in every field it is the same.  The fact is the gap is never going to be bridged simply because of two things:

a)  high population growth in poor countries

b) constant innovation and acceleration of technology in developed countries

Accepting these facts, we know there will always be a difference in levels between these two worlds.  But our children will have to face their children.  Since we are the the ones with the better education and support systems, we become the defacto leaders of the world.  Our children will have to show leadership in a world where other hate and fear us because we have so much more than they do.  But this will occur only if we do not share what we have with them.

There is a way for our children to become leaders in a disparate world. 

There are some very simple things we need to do:

A) Teach our children to respect others no matter how many material goods they have or do not have

B)   There is a saying that a beautiful woman has the responsibility to NOT make other women feel ugly but to  make them feel they too have beauty

C)  Teach our children that the strong exist to protect the weak not to bully them and destroy their self concept

D)  Create  a self esteem building climate in our classrooms where students seek to increase the level of learning by creating a positive learning atmosphere for all

E)  Teach our children about Leadership through sharing by having them do community service projects, get involved as volunteers and take the responsibility to help those who, through whatever accident of birth, just don't have the same resources they have.

F)  Help our children see that Leadership Through Sharing is their only hope of living at peace in a disparate world.

To find out more about Leadership Through Sharing, CLICK HERE to download the document Creating 21st Century Youth Leaders Through Sharing The Cup of Hope.

Tap Into These Soccer For Life Projects For Developing Leadership Through Sharing Projects

1.  Participate in Project Athletic Shoes For Youth Empowerment As A Coordinator.

 Ask all the parents and adults you know to clean out their old athletic shoes, basketball shoes and running shoes and bring them to you. Ask them to donate ten dollars for shipping to Honduras. You as  coordinator  collect the athletic shoes.  The cost of shipping 500+ pairs of shoes to Honduras is around $250.  All you need is a contribution of 25 people to pay for the shipping.   Go to the page Project Athletic Shoes For Youth Empowerment for details on the project.  You can send out emails to all your friends and ask them to help. CLICK HERE for a sample email letter you can send out.

All You Have To Do IS Collect 500 Pairs of Athletic Shoes/Soccer Cleats and Pay The Shipping Cost To Honduras. With This Gift, Your Group Build A  Youth Empowerment Small Tourism Project In Their Village. CLICK HERE And Take A Look At How Your 500 pairs Of Shoes Will Change A Young Person's Life. 

Where Can You Find 500+ Pairs of Athletic Shoes?

There are many ways to collect your 500+ pairs of shoes.  Here are some ways

1.  Ask each member of your organization to collect athletic shoes from their closets, garages and basements.

2. Place a collection box in your organization meeting home

3.  Have a "Athletic Shoe Potluck" and have each person bring a pair of shoes along with the food

4.  Talk to other local organizations with thrift shops and ask them to donate a few pair

5.  Talk to your local shoe stores and ask them to donate a few pair

6.  Ask to put up a box in the local high school

7. Go to your local college and ask them if they have a recycling program and will they help by collecting at the college

8.  Ask your employer if you can collect athletic shoes there

9.  Talk to the mayor of your town and ask him for support

10.  See if you can put a public service announcement on local radio or television

11. Talk to your pastor

12. If you belong to organizations like Kiwanis or Lions Club see if they will help collect at their meetings

13.  Give out flyers wherever you go (We will be having a pdf file online soon that you can download and print)

14. Take off your athletic shoes and add them to the mix.

15.  Your own ideas....

2.  Collect Unused Sport Equipment and Materials from your closet, Storage Unit, Garage and Basement and Ship Them To Honduras

Everything you no longer use can be used by the Honduras Youth Soccer Project.  We need uniforms, t shirts, shorts, socks, nets, balls, medals, trophies, warm-ups, jackets, sports bags, water bottles, nets, portable goals, soccer cleats.  It doesn't matter what it is if you had it for sports activities and you still have it, we can use it. 

3.  Hold A Fund Raising Field Day In Your School

A Fund Raising Field Day is a fun, excitement day where your young athletes can have fun, get exercise, raise funds and build their personal self esteem. A Fund Raising field day is similar to a Donation Concurso we run with our soccer donations in Honduras. The difference, is that there are entry fees for athletes to enter the Field Day. These entry fees are used for defraying the cost of the Field Day and raise funds for shipping to Honduras. In addition to the entry fees, each athlete is required to clean out his or her closet or garage and bring the soccer items found there. In addition, each athlete will attempt to get sponsors for his entry fee as well as for sending to Honduras. We will put together a password protected page for your use once you decide to offer a field day.  In addition we will place your event on our Soccer For Life Fundraising Calendar with a link to your club web site.

4.   Raise and Donate Cash For Shipping Donations to Honduras

The cost of shipping by boat to Honduras is one of our major obstacles in serving these children.  We need funds to ship boxes of goods we already have.  Whatever you are willing to donate is welcome. 

In 2006 A Japanese group came to Honduras bringing soccer gear as donation. Four adults came. They were able to come because fifth grade class in Japan made and sold recycled items and raised the funds not only for four people to have round trip airfare from Japan to Honduras, they also donated $300 to the Liga Menor for youth activities.  Want to know more/  Here's what they did. The students of the 5the grade of the Wakamatsu school at the moment are studying about Deforestation of the Tropical Forest. The contacted Mr. Sakai so that they could get help in developing an actual project to fight deforestation in a tropical country.  Mr Sakai is president of the HOKKAIDO FOREST VOLUNTEERS ASSOCIATION, which is very active in halting deforestation as well as in reforestation.  They group of students decided they would raise the money in a sustainable way to send a group to Honduras to plant trees with children in Honduras.

Collection of Funds Was Sustainable

The donation was collected by means of a bazaar that the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) carried out  and that they carry out every autumn:

1.  The students collected seeds of Oak, Pine and lichens, they grew them and had trees for Christmas and key rings to sell.
2.  They made candles of used oil and they manufactured post cards from boxes of milk.
3.  They manufactured ornamental games and objects with grass and toys from used bottles .
 

All these products were sold in those all stores in the bazaar.
The donation was obtained through what the children gained from this sale

See the Certificate of Appreciation we posted on the web for the children at http://www.satglobal.com/5th_grade_students_in_hokkaido_r.htm .

Because we feel so strongly about the need for leadership we are developing a soccer tournament to be held here in Honduras to invite teams that have donated to Soccer For Life to participate.  In addition to a fun tournament, there will be a LAN party as well as a tour of some of the beautiful areas of Intibuca. Contact Dr. Cross at sfl@satglobal.com for more information or to participate in this leadership tournament.

Schools should Contact Dr. Cross at sfl@satglobal.comfor more information.

5.   Teach About Leadership Through Sharing.  Lesson Plans For Teachers On Leadership Through Sharing Are Being Developed

At one time Dr. Carol Cross, founder and director of Soccer For Life was a tenured elementary teacher in the Chicago Public Schools. She was required to turn in lesson plans each week. But things were simpler then. Now teachers have so much record keeping they do not have time to write lesson plans.  Because of this, iIn time for the fall school year, three different lesson plans on Leadership Through Sharing Will Be Available On This Website for use by schools.  These  lesson plans will be multifaceted and include the following:

They are being developed right now and will include self esteem building exercise and leadership exercises.  Each one includes a hands one activity because we feel that true learning takes place when we involve the body as well as the mind.  The three lesson plans will have these leadership activities laid out with step by step guidelines and will be age appropriate

4-6 Grades -  How to Make a Handmade Ball (the class will make handmade balls)

Grade 7-9 -    How To Collect 500 Pairs of Shoes ( the class will hold an athletic shoe collection drive)

Grade 10-12  How To Hold A Fund Raising Field Day (The class will hold a fund raising field day )

Teachers should keep coming back for more information on these Lesson Plans

7.   Promote The Soccer For Life Program In Your Community

There are members in your club or group that have soccer and sports gear in their closets, garages and basements. They don't know about our work in Honduras and how it is helping the poor children of Intibuca get what they need to play.  You are the key to sharing the Soccer For Life Mission with them.  Help us collect soccer gear and promote the Honduras Youth Soccer Project. You can stop the waste of used soccer gear in your community.  You can stimulate companies and groups to donate.  Help us Share The Soccer Gear Donation Project

Thank You For Caring And Sharing

Scenes of Youth Soccer in Intibuca - Kids Playing In A Soccer Tournament Using Soccer Gear Donate By US Coaches, Teams and Youth (CLICK HERE If You Want To Donate Used Gear).  Adopt a Soccer Team in Honduras - Only You Can Make It Possible For Every Child To Play Soccer

Help Poor Children Of Latin America Get The Soccer Gear They Need to Play

Soccer For Life is a Nonprofit organization dedicated to making the world’s most popular sport available to all the children of the Western Hemisphere. We intend to collect old soccer balls, shin guards, old soccer shirts and shorts, repair them, hold fund-raisers and develop training and coaching for Mexican, Honduran and Nicaraguan.  In Honduras, Soccer for Life offers the Honduras Youth Soccer Project. See children here making balls from plastic chip bags.

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Honduras Soccer Volunteer Program

sfl@satglobal.com

Soccer For Life is a 501 (C)( 3), a nonprofit organization dedicated to making the world’s most popular sport available to all the children of the Western Hemisphere. We need old soccer balls, shin guards, old soccer shirts and shorts, repair them, hold fund-raisers and develop training and coaching for Honduran street and mountain children.

To find out more about Soccer For Life and its program for Youth contact Dr. Carol Cross,sfl@satglobal.com

Tax Deduction Statement Is Available.

Soccer for Life is a non profit 501-(3) C organization designed to enable all the children of the Western Hemisphere to have the opportunity to play soccer, the beautiful game.  Soccer for Life has received a determination of tax exemption from Federal Income taxes . All contributions to Soccer For Life, Inc., are deductible under section 170 of the Code. That means that donations of cash as well as equipment, used soccer gear, vehicles, etc., receive a tax deduction from IRS. Any donation will be valued and you will receive a statement from Soccer for Life, Inc., that you can use to deduct from your income tax. We are classified as a public charity under 509 (a) (2) of the IRS code. We function under the laws of the State of Arizona and carry an Internal Revenue Service "Recognition of Exemption", No. 17053296009004.

Setting Up the Intibuca Youth Soccer Center

Soccer For Life is planning to set up the Intibuca Youth Soccer Center for our teams we will be developing. Because of the fact that many of our Youth-At-Risk have not yet learned the social manners of those in mainstream youth leagues and soccer clubside, we feel that these youths should play among themselves until they gain better social skills.

We will be teaching soccer skills, social skills and character skills such as teamwork, dealing with anger and self control.

Need More Information About Donating Soccer Gear, Getting Involved With The Intibuca Youth Soccer Center Or Becoming a Volunteer? Want to get involved?

Links To The Soccer Gear Donation Project

CLICK HERE