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This is HandsOnSports 2017:
Tax deductible donations may be made at:
www.handsonsportsfoundation.org
UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
- Our goal of creating a second inner city futsal court in Akron at the Joy Park Boys and Girls Club is still on the table. We need $16,000 to resurface and paint the court. Then we need $2,400 in goals, $1,000 in balls and equipment. Of course after that we will have to provide regular programming. An estimated $30,000 total financial commitment in year one will complete the project and then $10,000 - $15,000 in programming costs annually will sustain this program.
WE DID IT!
- We donated over $15,000 worth of new shoes to Honduras through the CAMO organization based in Wooster, OH.
- We shipped by cargo container over $80,000 worth of donated medical and dental supplies to the indigenous tribes of the Costa Rican jungle. In addition we donated thousands of shoes and soccer uniforms to the families of the Cabecar and Amubri tribes.
- We donated over $115,000 worth of medical supplies to 15 free clinics serving veterans, elderly, indigent and young mothers in Northern Ohio with our distribution center at Hardware Components in Hudson, OH earlier this year. We are preparing for a second distribution of more than $100,000 in supplies this September.
- We sent 500 pounds of soccer equipment with East Cleveland Minister Dogba Bass to needy children in Liberia.
- We donated netting, futsal goals, shoes, balls and equipment to the Akron based Urban Ministries and are assisting them in their grant requests to construct an urban play space for children from more than 20 ethnic groups in Akron's North Hill.
- Annually we assist and help run the 'Kids Kickin' Cancer' soccer program run by Mrs. Iris Wolstein serving children and their families who are dealing with the trails of having a child with cancer.
- Have helped purchase goals for the new public futsal court in Lakewood, Ohio.
- HandsOnSports sponsored the Ohio North Futsal first ever female futsal team to travel internationally to Argentina. These 11 year old girls were received as royalty and were true pioneers in their journey to 5 clubs, each of them more than 100 years old, to play against some of the first female teams ever created in Argentina. As part of their journey the girls then visited 'Pequenos Pasos', a social services organization in Buenos Aires that serves children adults and young mothers with education, nutrition, opportunities for employment and much more. The young ladies had the chance to meet, give and have a snack with young boys, girls and their parents and see the smiles on the faces of the children they were sharing with. To conclude the week the girls were also afforded the opportunity to train with the 1st Division Boca Juniors coaches, attend a professional match and then spend an evening dining with the FIFA Futsal World Cup champion coach from Argentina.
- We have been the recipient of equipment from drives organized by former HandsOnSoccer students and their families including the Wilson family who collected more than 700 pounds of shoes, uniforms, backpacks and other sporting equipment.
- And finally I would like to personally thank a young lady who is widely known as my favorite young student over the past decade. Sophia Rossi started with HandsOnSoccer and the German Family Society soccer club at the age of eight. She was featured on the cover of the Coaches HandsOnSoccer manual, 'The Fundamentals' at age 10, she won the futsal national championship at ages 11 and 12 and then again at age 14 as one of 3 girls on an all boys team. Sophia then went on to win every game in her career at Walsh Jesuit HS, not only winning 4 consecutive state championships but scoring the game winning goal as a freshman, sophomore and junior and scoring the second goal in a 2-0 victory her senior year. In January Sophia was awarded All American status at the National Soccer Coaches Convention in Los Angeles and then named Gatorade Player of the Year for the State of Ohio in June. As part of this award Sophia was granted the opportunity to gift a $1,000 award to the charity of her choice and I am so very proud to announce that she chose the HandsOnSports Foundation.
THANK YOU!
- I would like to thank the Henry Schein Corporation and Sensical/Un1tus who have been our largest annual donors of equipment and supplies.
- I would like to thank Gary Cerasi and his staff at Creative Business Strategies for their accounting services and for keeping our books straight throughout the year.
- I would like to thank Rob Robinson and his staff at Hardware Components for their time and effort in receiving, loading, storing, wrapping and distributing all of the equipment that has been donated and that we have collected for distribution throughout the year.
There are many other supporters, sponsors, donors and volunteers that are greatly appreciated and deserve thanks for their part in making all we do possible. To those of you in attendance and those not here you should be very proud of your efforts. It is important for me to share with you that due to your efforts there is another generation of givers and doers following in your footsteps. Most of all
on behalf of the thousands of children and families in NE Ohio and abroad
we
thank you for your energy and time, you are making a positive difference in the lives of others and changing our world for the better every single day.
With all our gratitude ~
Otto Orf and the staff at HandsOnSports!
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