Projects! (Continued from last post)

So here’s the story. As a side job, although still part of my internship, I have begun to involve myself in a couple of little side projects. Some of these are simple, putting our files into a file cabinet (we literally had an empty file cabinet and for some reason our files were kept in a box…stacked vertically), others are more complicated, I’m setting up a server for the office (not too hard), trying to round up old jerseys for the Khayelitsha, Gugulethu and Nyanga boys/girls community league and finally…building a library for the Football for Hope Center (along with Jamison Merrill, whose actually the project manager/founder of the idea.

So, here is where I need some help. I got this idea the other day. Jamison mentioned that a girl in Cape Town donated about 1000 Rand of her Bat Mitzvah money to the Football For Hope Center’s new library. And cue the proverbial light bulb above my head - So I figure, if memory serves me right, there are lots and lots of Bar/Bat Mitzvahs that happen each and every week in Seattle, and each of those newly minted adults (just kidding) needs an organization or charity to donate ten percent of their B-Mitzvah money. And so, my thought, or perhaps my hope, is that if anyone out there know someone who is about to have a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, maybe suggest the Football for Hope Center as a possible donation recipient. If you do know someone that is interested please pass along my email gstockdale@grassrootsoccer.org so we can get the ball rolling! I can’t overemphasize the importance of having a library (even if it’s a very small one) in the townships. Seeing as Bar/Bat Mitzvah’s are rituals of growth and development – through learning, it seems like a perfect place to send ten percent of your hard earned money B-Mitzvah money. Also if anyone feels so inclined, feel free to donate to my internship fund (which is a 501(c)3 organization and therefore tax deductible!) through the google checkout button at the top of this blog. That’s a good place to donate money as well, in case you were wondering.

Okay, next project. So the other side project that I’m working on is collecting jerseys and kits (kits is the British term for the whole uniform, jerseys and shorts) for the girls soccer league. The townships recently started a girls soccer league and the kids really love having matching team jerseys. So if anyone knows teams or clubs that don’t need their jerseys anymore, I would be more than happy to take them off your hands. Again, if you have any leads or ideas send me an email at gstockdale@grassrootsoccer.org and we can discuss logistics.

Cool, well that’s about it for right now. On a quick side note, I’d like to give a little shout out (or a Kilo as its called in South Africa) to Ricardo Wenger whose been helping me navigate the world of “small business servers” for our office. Hopefully we’ll have one up and running within the next month or so.

Alright well, more to come soon…stay tuned.

Later.