Thanks to the hard work of people at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Vancouver, Washington, thirty children in Gramothe, Haiti got the opportunity to participate in a soccer camp last month. The church works with Mountaintop Ministries, and efforts to help in the region include regular visits by medical teams, donations of personal and medical supplies, and education and soccer for children. The 107IST was fortunate to be able to offer support to the camp in the form of 50 soccer balls, 30 pairs of socks, and cones for soccer drills.

Haley Case, a sixteen-year-old who led the soccer camp, shared this with us:

"From May 3rd to May 5th we ran a soccer camp for thirty Haitian kids at Mt Top Ministries, in the village of Gramothe near Port-au-Prince, Haiti. We provided brand new soccer balls for the camp as well as cones, pennies, and socks and shoes for each camper. In running drills and playing soccer with the kids we ran into difficulties due to the language barrier, crumbling soccer court, and the proximity of the soccer court to a cliff. Despite these obstacles we managed to create a cross-cultural connection through our shared love of soccer. Thanks to the support of our community and the Timbers Army we were able to provide supplies and create a unique experience for these Haitian kids to play soccer." 

Haley Case, age 16

Congratulations to the Vancouver Trinity Lutheran youth who participated in this effort. Because our vision as supporters includes both volunteerism and charitable donations, we are also grateful for our 107IST members, whose membership dollars make possible our financial support for community outreach and youth football support, both here at home and around the world. Thank you, members!

All photos courtesy of Addison Lufkin Collier, age 16