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GIVE: NFL Athletes GIVE Back

Written by: Katence Olson and Hallie Hemmingsen

9/18/2015

Football is back.

Stadiums are packed with pride, fans are once again sporting their team’s swag and Sundays are reserved for football. Sportscenter is on between games, critiquing every move these players make on the field. Every touchdown, every tackle, every cutback and Hail Mary is broken down and analyzed.

But what about the moves these players make off the field? What about the impact and legacies they leave behind when their uniforms are replaced with jeans and a T-shirt? What about the offseason?

This February, NFL athletes traveled abroad to Nicaragua for a cause far bigger than themselves: to create educational opportunities and improve the quality of life for local people in impoverished communities of Nicaragua. Their efforts have left an impact these communities will never forget.

Seahawks wide receiver Jermaine Kearse, Cowboys wide receiver Philip Bates, former NFL linebacker Eric Barton, and former Broncos wide receiver D’Andre Goodwin rolled up their sleeves to mix cement alongside Nicaraguan locals and GIVE volunteers to build a one of a kind sports court and put the finishing touches on our school.

“I’ve unfortunately only been a part of one trip, but for the many groups before me, I got to experience the moment of, ‘Wow, we all did this’… It was a blessing for the whole community. And just to think that, there can be better, there’s more to come. Who knows?” said Eric Barton.

The Ripple Effect

The ripple effect began with our volunteers, the backbone of GIVE, whose hard work made this all possible. Their selflessness helped a community in need and created memories that will last them a lifetime.

Over the last four years, GIVE volunteers and the Jiquilillo community built a technical school by recycling 15,000 plastic bottles. The school, which will focus on trades such as marine mechanics, hospitality and carpentry to provide immediate utility to the community, will also be used as a literacy center. It will provide an opportunity for higher education and growth potential for the men, women and children in the community who wouldn’t have had access to resources like these before now. This year, hand in hand with the community, the school was handed over to the government to open this fall.

“Education for these students will change their lives and have a ripple effect on their children, as well as the community as a whole,” said Sarah Collins, a volunteer from Central Washington University.

Seeing Success First Hand

Volunteers know their efforts impacted a larger cause. Every person played a role to expand educational and recreational opportunities for the community. And the community knows it too. “A school doesn’t just build from nothing. It’s the volunteers and the community coming together to make something that everyone can believe in. The community wants to participate,” said Alan Allison, a GIVE volunteer.

Volunteers are that catalyst for change.

“It’s like a drop of water in a pool. The ripples have to come from somewhere and I think that GIVE is that drop. And people, they go through a lot and then they go back [home]. Changing their mindset is what’s going to help change things in the future for society in general,” said Corinne Pruett, a GIVE volunteer.

“The trip definitely had a huge impact on my perspective of what life really means,” said Kearse. In response to the unveiling of the vocational school, Kearse said, “[It was great to] celebrate such a special moment for the kids. Creating somewhere where kids can go and learn, and help themselves have a better life… It’s not ‘I’, ‘I’, ‘I’, it’s us.’”

Giving back to other communities

Truly living and working with the locals ignites passion and gratitude beyond our own community.

“Who knows what some kid is going to go through that school and learn to become,” said Barton. “Do you want to open your mind? To get out of your world and be selfless for two weeks. It’s not about you anymore. It’s about helping others, and you actually help yourself.”

Eric Barton wasn’t alone in the sentiments he had about the trip and about GIVE.

“That’s special to them. To have GIVE constantly come back, it means a lot to them. A lot of people can say, ‘o we’re going to come back,’ and don’t come back. GIVE always comes back and it shows what type of impact it has on the locals. They see that they come back and it means they really care,” said Jermaine Kearse.

This project in Nicaragua is one of several for GIVE, with additional locations in Thailand, Laos, and Tanzania. Students can also receive academic credit through partners like Central Washington University’s International Sustainable Development Institute (ISDI), which offers financial and merit-based scholarships to make these international experiences available to students regardless of background or income. “These are transformative experiences that inspire students to create innovative solutions to problems locally and globally,” said Kenneth Cohen, ISDI Director.

This isn’t the last GIVE trip for Seahawks, Jermaine Kearse, “I’m definitely finding my way back.”

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