| | Published December 19th, 2012
| East Bay Eclipse Soccer Club Helps Kids Half a World Away
| | Submitted by Diane Sharp |  | | Kids near Nairobi play with the "virtually indestructible" soccer ball. Photos provided
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Through the month of December, the East Bay Eclipse Soccer Club (EBESC) players and their families will be raising money to help donate the only soccer balls in the world said to be virtually indestructible to several villages in Kenya.
"Although Lamorinda is a fantastic place to live, it is very easy to get lost in the bubble and forget what else is happening out in the world," said Shane Carney, director of East Bay Eclipse. "This fundrasier will hopefully serve as a reminder to everyone that there are kids around the world from ours playing and loving the same game of soccer who we can easily help. Something as simple as providing them with a ball can have a huge positive impact on the lives of these children."
There are approximately 425 kids in the Eclipse Soccer Club in Lamorinda, and Carney is hoping they all get involved in this first major, club-wide donation drive.
"The indestructible soccer ball (One World Futbol) is important because in places like Africa the fields are often dirt, with glass or rock, so the balls pop very easily," said Blake Sharp, the 13-year-old campaign coordinator.
"Kids playing on the streets or in the fields of Africa typically make balls out of anything they can - rolled up paper, rolled up yarn and even animal bladders," added Carney. "An indestructible ball ensures that they always have something to play with and can spend their time playing instead of having to piece together another makeshift ball."
The One World Futbol can survive the harshest conditions, and never needs a pump, never goes flat, even when punctured. Sharp has played with the balls, and said they look and feel like a regular soccer ball - same weight and dimensions. "They are super fun to play with in my room (though my mom doesn't like that much) and outside," she said.
The Eclipse Soccer Club's goal is to donate 420 soccer balls by the end of this holiday season to children in Kenya. "The ultimate goal of the donation drive is to show that the game of soccer is something that transcends geographical, social, cultural and class lines," said Carney. "One ball can serve as a reason for joy and positivity for a large number of kids halfway around the world. As people who are blessed to live where we do, this is something we can all easily do to help bring joy."
The One World Futbols will be distributed to the Hilde Back Education Fund based in Nairobi (www.hildebackeducationfund.com). For more information about the project, visit www.oneworldfutbol.com/campaigns/eclipse/.
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 | | East Bay Eclipse player gives the unique soccer ball a try.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA