I recently received an email from a 13 year old in Wisconsin, who wanted to “do something” to help children in need. Mitchell, a soccer player, decided to form an organization called “Peace is the Goal” as a goodwill initiative to make the world a better place to live, by spreading the message of peace and giving through “the world’s game,” soccer.
Mitchell raised the seed money needed to fund his organization through refereeing soccer games on the weekends and babysitting at night. He set up meetings with local sporting goods distributors and brokered deals with them to purchase soccer equipment. Ever since, he’s found worthy causes like EOR, and sent them soccer equipment–to date he has completed 51 projects and delivered more than 1,100 pieces of soccer equipment worth more than $12,500 to orphanages, schools, missions, churches, agencies and individuals that house, shelter, educate and provide direction to kids in 27 countries, from Afghanistan to Ecuador to Serbia to the United States.
EOR recently received a box of 12 soccer balls, a soccer ball storage bag and a soccer ball pump from Mitchell and Peace is the Goal. Our Board of Directors will bring the equipment to one of our orphanage partners in Ethiopia on our volunteer trip early next year. Mitchell has inspired us to put together a fundraising plan to engage other students in raising the funds for the rest of the soccer equipment needed to outfit our orphanage partners–more balls, bags and pumps, as well as jerseys and sneakers. We hope you will join us–we’ll be posting more information on this blog and our website as it becomes available.
Thank you, Mitchell. You are truly an inspiration to other kids and teenagers, even to adults like me! Your giving spirit and entrepreneurial drive are to be commended–your parents must be so proud.
-Danielle
