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| Don't Hate me 'Cuz I'm Beautiful |
I started
doing a bit of research and found a story that I felt compelled to actually
right about. I have a couple of
disclaimers before I get into it though.
Yes, this story is about soccer.
You’re reading a blog written and edited by guys who played soccer for
87% of their lives, you shoulda expected it.
No I’m not writing about Sandusky or Fine, that story was beaten off… ummm…
touched on…’scuse me...beaten down
since it broke. I’m not writing about Bin Laden. The Big 3? Meh. Japan’s Women’s National Team? That’s later. No,
no. What I’m presenting is a story I guarantee none of y’all have heard, and it
comes right out of Haiti.
Patrice Millet
was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer in 2006. After undergoing aggressive treatment in the
US – including a stem cell transplant - Millet returned to Haiti to carry out
his dream of helping children from Haiti’s poorest slums. For those of you who don’t know, Haiti is the
poorest country in the Americas (GDP per capita at $673). As with most underdeveloped countries you see
political unrest, drug trafficking, and high crime rates. Education? Sike. Future outside of Haiti?
Sike. Millet made it his misson to change the lives of as many as he could
through the teachings of soccer.
Soon
thereafter Millet founded FONDAPS (Foundation of Our Lady of Perpetual Help) to
keep kids out of trouble and to teach life skills. His wife feared for his life as he entered
dangerous areas of Port-au-Prince’s slums.
He was soon accepted and brought more than 600 children hope through
soccer. "I want the kids to be very
good citizens," he said. "In soccer ... you need to give, you need to
receive, you need team spirit, discipline, sportsmanship. ... It's not all
about soccer, it's about life." Games and training (Millet ran practices 5
days a week and provided free equipment for the kids) were more than just
winning and losing as the children learned the value of the lessons Millet
taught. In the ghetto, they knew nothing
of the outside world. Through FONDAPS,
they were able to get a taste of more than just the crime and poverty they suffered
with on a daily basis.
In 2010, the
earthquake changed everything. The
program shrank from 600 kids to 200. The
3 soccer fields they used to call home were reduced to one on the outskirts of
Port-au-Prince as the other sites became tent cities. Millet is now more than ever a father figure,
role model, and mentor as kids in his program lost families, friends, and
teammates as more than 300,000 were killed and another 1.6 million homeless in
the aftermath. FONDAPS now provides food
for the families of some of the kids who participate. Millet still has goals of working to
establish his own school in Haiti to continue to build his message of hope.
As kids we’re
taught many old adages, one of which is to do more for others than you do for
yourself. Patrice Millet personifies
this credo and is one of the unsung heroes of 2011. We’re taught from a young age to give, give,
give and share, share, share. But how
many of us truly feel compelled to give back, to serve, to sacrifice? That’s why this story is so inspiring. As
2012 kicks off and we contemplate our resolutions that we will undoubtedly fail
to keep – make an exception for one that we should all work for and that I
already have on my white board. Let’s
work to give back to our communities. If
you’re reading this, chances are you have the means to help in some way. Whether it’s tutoring at middle school,
donating time to a charity, or just dropping a couple bucks into the Salvation
Army buckets during the holidays– let’s work to do more for others than we do
for ourselves. From KSW, Happy New Year.
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