Sports.....a Real Privilege for the Underprivileged
My kids have been playing soccer, baseball, basketball, volleyball, and running cross country and track from a very early age. I have spent approximately 100, 000 hours at ball fields, courts, courses and tracks. Ok, that may not be accurate, but you get the picture. I hate to even guess how much we have spent on camps, gear, teams and physicals. We do what we do for our kids. We love to go cheer them on. We love to see them succeed.
But what happens when you grow up in a home where sometimes your parents struggle to even pay rent? What happens when you can't afford all of the gear and the fees? What happens when your family is uninsured and can't afford to pay out of pocket to get a sports physical for something that, let's be honest, isn't a necessity, like say, FOOD?
This is Jose'. I have known him for two years. He was in the running club at his elementary school. I knew he could run. He had some really supportive teachers who encouraged him to run. As he entered his middle school this year, probably the lowest socio-economic middle school in Olathe, he was filled with fear of the unknown details of middle school and hope for some exciting opportunities that awaited him. We were talking that first week of school about how he really wanted to go out for Cross Country. His mom is raising him, his 4 sisters and his cousin. They are uninsured. He needed good running shoes. He needed a physical. Both of these things were not in the budget. These things become obstacles that most kids can't conquer. At this middle school there is not as much participation in sports. Sometimes there aren't even enough kids to make a "B" team, while other schools are cutting kids from teams. A very generous Chiropractor in town, Dr. Sandra Liperoute, with Fulk Chiropractic, offered to help him with his physical. We found a donor for the shoes. Jose was in the top 3 at all of the cross country races. He continued running through the year and joined the track team this Spring. He can finish an 800 meter race at least 100 meters ahead of everyone. Now for most of us, if we had a kiddo who could not only run, but BLOW THE COMPETITION AWAY, we might perhaps pursue a track club, or some better training. This is not an option for Jose.
Hebrews 12:1 1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. So many kids need sports as an outlet to escape, if just for a little bit, the reality that is their life.
Volleyball.....for most of us the first time we probably picked up a ball was when we went to middle school. Times have changed, and unfortunately for these girls, that is probably the case, too. But what about your daughters? Have they been playing multiple sessions since they were in 3rd or 4th grade? This year a very dear friend of mine, went to her daughter's Zoom Volleyball Club, and approached them about doing a clinic for these 6 girls. This would at least give them an idea of what it would look like before try-outs the next week. They got to spend the day learning from professional coaches, they were treated to lunch and they even walked away with their own gear. I am forever indebted to my friend, Debbie, for organizing this great confidence boosting opportunity. Again, my very generous doctor friend performed their physicals for free. I was a nervous wreck the week of try-outs. Would these girls have what it took to make the team? Would they experience their first big middle school disappointment of not being good enough to make the team? The coaches at the clinic gave them some super important advice. "Go out there and be a team player, and be as enthusiastic as possible." Well, that did the job! They found themselves playing on the B team at their middle school.
This young man you have probably met before. This is Carlos. Carlos is a honestly a part of my family. One day I was picking him up at track, my daughter is his age and they go to the same school. Carlos got in the car and I realized that he was wearing some flat, skater shoes, the Wal-Mart variety. I asked him if he was really running in those shoes? He went on to tell me that they couldn't afford running shoes. A generous friend who had met Carlos on the Lunch Bus the week prior, had just given me some money to tuck away for something Carlos would need in the future. This was just the thing. On Sunday after church, Carolyn, my 7th grader, and I headed over to pick Carlos up because we were going shoe shopping. When we arrived at Dick's Sporting Goods, we headed back to the shoes. Carlos was very gracious about not wanting to spend too much. I told him it was all covered. He picked up a pair of shoes, and said, " I will just take these. Where is the other shoe?" You see, he thought you just picked your shoes off the shelf and head to the check out. Carlos had never tried shoes on in the store. He had never been fitted for shoes. In fact, when I asked what size shoe he wore, he said, " I don't really know. I just wear what we can find. Sometimes it is an 8, or a 9 or a 10. We dropped Carlos off at home, and I proceeded home with Carolyn. She kept thanking me for her shoes. She realized that day, just how fortunate she was.
If I haven't lost you yet, here is one more sweet story. Living Hope Church has a soccer program called BRIDGES. Bridges is an intra-mural kid's program. We approached the pastors there about possibly allowing scholarships for a few kids this session. 9 kids accepted the opportunity. They had to go to a skills assessment session and were allowed to participate at 1/2 the normal rate, $40. Their parents were so excited, and I can't even describe the excitement of the kids! One family of two, really didn't have it in their budget to even pay the $40. When I approached Bridges, they were willing to let her pay $40 total. Unfortunately due to some extreme hardships, that was even a stretch. Mission Southside ended up paying the $40 for her girls to participate. Last week, mom showed up at the Mission with $40 in hand. She wanted to repay the Mission and was so extremely grateful for this opportunity for her girls. The mom of the two boys above, showed up to her ESL class two weeks ago after one of their first games. With tears streaming down her cheeks, she could barely speak about how much this meant to her kids. They have never played on an organized sports team. They were learning a lot and they just loved their new uniforms. The challenge of this amazing opportunity is always the gear. Practice shirts, shorts to go with their uniforms, shin guards, socks, cleats......Due to the generosity of many donors to Mission Southside, we were able to find the sizes for each kiddo. God is GOOD!
Okay, Amy, where are you going with this, you might be asking? What is your ASK? If you know me, my heart has ached for all of our little friends to have the opportunity to learn sports and skills that will give them confidence to participate in sports and other activities when they get to middle school. Sometimes the world is just so inequitable. With the acquisition of our ministry center we have an amazing opportunity to use the outdoor space for some skills training, pick up games, and confidence building for our little friends.
How can you help???
One basketball goal has already been generously donated, but we would love to have a second one so that we can more effectively play and coach the kids. The cost of that sturdy outdoor goal is about $1200.
We have some volleyballs donated, but are still in need of a good, sturdy net and poles.
We have a soccer court and goals donated, but could really use some
soccer balls.
But, what would it look like if every Tuesday night from 7-8:30 we had people who care and have a passion for soccer, volleyball or basketball, volunteer their time? Maybe once a month, maybe every other week, maybe every week? Do you have the love for the least of these and the knowledge and skills to help some of these kiddos start learning these sports that can help build confidence in their lives?
Please pray about this. Think about how you could impact the life of one of the kids we serve, our neighbors.
Romans 12:6-8 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. Please contact me if you are interested in helping or contributing to anything above. Most importantly, please pray for this dream of mine and more opportunities for these kids.
