June is finally here and I am rejoicing about the start of 2010 FIFA South Africa World Cup this summer! I am also enjoying serving as the public relations intern for the philanthropic charity organization, Little Feet (LF) as well this summer.
So what is Little Feet all about?
Little Feet is a social enterprise that gives underprivileged children the chance to play “the Beautiful Game” by providing them with new, high-quality soccer balls. Founded upon the “one for one” model, it donates a ball to a needy child for each one sold through its website, www.littlefeet.com. Headquartered in Newport Beach, California, the Little Feet Foundation has proudly shared its passion for soccer with disadvantaged children and schools since its inception in March 2006, reaching thousands of children in over 40 countries worldwide.
I had the privilege to be introduced to LF by our GCSU soccer coach, Juan Pablo Favero. Our GCSU soccer program partners with LF using LF balls as our team practice balls.
I've experienced first hand the impact of LF’s global mission; I had the opportunity to travel to Nicaragua last summer to distribute LF balls to the local soccer league there. LF allows players like myself to have a globally social responsible perspective and it also provides players an understanding of the true value of giving back to the community.
After soccer championships are won, it is not the scores that are remembered years later, but always the relationships formed and the passions shared for this “beautiful game” we play. LF is about making a difference in people’s lives by promoting peace through soccer and giving hope worldwide.
Little Feet has always set “Big Goals” and Trevor Slavick, co-founder of the organization, is launching a LF Soccer Ball Partnership Program. I have already begun contacting various soccer organizations to get involved with this effort.
In addition, I have been working on contacting both local and national media requesting media support to help spread the word about the launch of the 2010 FIFA World Cup U.S. Men’s National Team Supporter Shirt.
For every shirt sold, Little Feet has pledged to donate a soccer ball to an underprivileged child in South Africa during the World Cup.
This internship has been so rewarding in that I am seeing the global impact it is having everyday and I am understanding more and more why companies and organizations do pro-bono work and donate to charities and philanthropies. I truly do light up when I talk about LF and I am eager to see them grow and expand this summer as I put my public relations skills to work.
A soccer teammate will be traveling to Guyana on July 10-17th. She will be at a children's home and running a soccer clinic there and distrubuting LF balls. Another acquaintance is taking LF balls to Schools for Niger, Africa. These are just two examples of the kind of impact I am talking about.
I recently read a press release that the Atlanta Beat Soccer Foundation and Chick-fil-A have joined forces to donate gently used soccer gear to the Schools of Niger, Africa in the Donate Your Gear program. Drop locations include all 12 Atlanta Beat home games in addition to 20 additional drop zones at local Chick-fil-A restaurants throughout Georgia.
Items collected for the schools of Niger, Africa include:
Clothing
Cleats
Balls
Equipment
Coaches gear
Water bottles
Hope you enjoyed reading this blog post, and please if you have any questions feel free to contact me.
Cheers,
Kara Teresi
Public Relations Intern
Little Feet/Big Goals
Peace through soccer
kara@littlefeet.com
(813) 335-7096
http://www.linkedin.com/companies/little-feet?trk=copro_tab
http://www.facebook.com/LittleFeetSports
