2008 MatchesGold Medalist Heather Mitts Donates Soccer Cleats to the Boys and Girls Club of Hollywood December 13, 2008 – Hollywood, CA Heather Mitts returned to California for the US National Team’s game against China PR on December 13th. Heather invited seven families from the local Boys and Girls Club in Hollywood to attend the game. Afterwords, Heather presented one of the December 11, 2008 – Las Vegas, NV Twenty-one Olympic Athletes visit the Andre Agassi Boys and Girls Club On Thursday December 11, the kids at the Andre Agassi Boys and Girls Club were treated to a visit by twenty-one US Olympians. They arrived at 6:00pm, December 10, 2008 - New York, NY New York Red Bull player Jeritt Thayer visited 30 kids at the School of the Future’s Boys and Girls Club on December 10, 2008. During his visit, Jeritt gave the kids some pointers on passing, shooting, and heading, and he also showed off some of his November 2008 Gymnastics Superstars Tour Community Involvement November 2008 Following their success in Beijing, the 2008 US Gymnastics team, along with teammates from previous years embarked on a whirlwind three month, 37-city, November 18, 2008 - Miami, Fl More Than 500 Deserving South Florida Families to Receive Thanksgiving Meals Alonzo Mourning, NBA All-Star and well-known philanthropist in the South Florida community, will give Thanksgiving a special meaning to families across November 15, 2008 - Cleveland, OH In recognition of National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness month, Saturday, November 15 was Alzheimer’s Awareness Night at the Cleveland Cavaliers’ game. The Alzheimer’s Association Cleveland Area Chapter and Greater East Ohio Area Chapter partnered November 13, 2008 - Pittsburgh, PA The Mario Lemieux Foundation partnered with NHL Auctions to present Bid for 66, an exclusive online auction event that was held between November 10-20, 2008, at www.mariolemieux.org. The auction proceeds benefitted the cancer and other medical November 11, 2008 - Cincinnati, OH Heather Mitts visited the Oyler’s Community Learning Center to share her story with the 75 kids who filled the gymnasium. Heather's inspiring story focused on overcoming obstacles to achieve goals. After sharing her story to the audience, Heather November 10, 2008 - Palm Beach, FL Genworth Financial donated Four LPGA ADT Championship Packages to four local charities in the Palm Beach area. Each package was auctioned off to the highest bidder during the organizations’ fundraising events. The packages included tickets to both November 9, 2008 - Beverly Hills, CA Action-sports pros and the entertainment elite were on-hand Sunday for the fifth-annual Activision Presents Stand Up For Skateparks, where over $1-million was raised for the Tony Hawk Foundation and its mission to bring free, quality skateparks to November 8, 2008 - East Lansing, MI By Vince Bond Jr. - Lansing State Journal Five-year-old Victoria Garcia was caught off guard Friday morning when she learned Olympic gymnasts were visiting Sparrow Children's Center. As part of Athletes for Hope - a non-profit November 3, 2008 - Chicago, IL The 1st Annual Dasan Robinson Soccer Tournament was held at the General Robert E. Wood Boys & Girls Club in Chicago during the week of October 27th through November 3rd. There were 8 teams with 4 players competing in the tournament, so everyone was November 1, 2008 – Phoenix, AZ Joe Freeman - The Oregonian November 02, 2008 Although the Trail Blazers left Phoenix with yet another frustrating loss to the Suns, their trip to Arizona will have a lasting positive memory because of an encounter with one of sports October 28, 2008 - Cleveland, TN Kerri Walsh, a two-time US Olympic Gold Medalist in Beach Volleyball, donated two signed volleyballs, and LPGA Player Charlotte Mayorkas donated a golf club and autographed golf balls to the MaryEllen Locher Foundation for their Volley for a Cure October 25, 2008 - New York, NY New York Red Bull player Jeritt Thayer joined the Prospect Park Alliance for its annual Halloween Carnival on October 25, 2008, where kids and parents enjoyed games, storytelling, pony rides, face painting, and performances. During his visit, Jeritt October 21, 2008 – New York, NY Gerris Wilkinson of the NFL Super Bowl Champion New York Giants joined Genworth and some of our key advisors in NYC last week to help revitalize the local Jackie Robinson Park in collaboration with HCCI, City of New York Parks and Recreation, October 19, 2008 – Raleigh, NC Athletes for Hope and the Make-A-Wish Foundation worked together to grant a wish request for 9-year-old Sara from North Carolina in October 2008. The Make-A-Wish Foundation approached AFH about getting in touch with U.S. Gymnastics Gold Medalist October 18, 2008 – Manhattan Beach, CA Eric Fonoimoana held the 2nd Dinner with the Stars fundraiser for Dig 4 Kids. The Stars who attended this event included Eric Fonoimoana (D4K Founder/President/2000 Gold Medalist), Dain Blanton (2000 Gold Medalist/AVP Star), Albert Hannemann (AVP October 15, 2008 – Park City, UT On Wednesday, a group of lucky teens from the Juniors and Teens Program at the Tooele Boys and Girls Club got to try out a new sport luge with USA Luge Coach, Jon Owen. Earlier this year, USA Luge Team Member, Preston Griffall taught a group of New York, NY – October 14, 2008 The Women's Sports Foundation will host its 29th Annual Salute to Women in Sports, a black-tie fundraiser and awards dinner held at New York's Waldorf=Astoria Hotel. The event, which features the presentation of the Team and Individual Sportswoman of October 7, 2008 - Salt Lake City, UT Chris Wingert, a starting defender for Real Salt Lake, has visited the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Salt Lake many times throughout the summer and fall. In June, Chris held a soccer clinic for boys and girls around the area. In his clinic, Chris October 6, 2008 - Hoboken, NJ New York Red Bull player Luke Sassano visited the Hoboken Boys and Girls Club nearly every Monday evening throughout October and November. During his visits, Luke hung out with the kids and would frequently play soccer with them and give pointers October 1st, 2008 - Philadelphia, PA On Wednesday, Heather Mitts of the Gold Medal winning US Women's National Soccer Team, helped out at Habitat for Humanity. Heather stopped by in the afternoon to work with the volunteers. After some initial hesitation, she even learned to use the September 30, 2008 – Philadelphia, PA 2008 U.S. Women’s Soccer Gold Medalist Heather Mitts and Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback A.J. Feeley, visited the Wissahickon Boys & Girls Club on Tuesday, September 30. Both Mitts and Feeley spoke to the kids about their aspirations, goals and how September 23, 2008 - Prattville, AL The 2008 Navistar LPGA Classic brought more than just golf enthusiasts when it rolled into Prattville, Ala., September 22nd through 28th. Partnered with Athletes for Hope, a charitable organization that educates, encourages and assists professional September 20, 2008 - Chicago, IL On Saturday, Chris Rolfe left his Chicago Fire practice as usual, but then he did something different. Chris headed over to a KaBOOM playground site and jumped right into the building work there. Chris arrived in the midst of all the hard work and September 19, 2008 – San Diego, CA Nastia recently travelled to San Diego to appear in Frosted Pink with a Twist. Frosted Pink with a Twist is a charity event aimed at empowering women, raising awareness, and encouraging action in the battle against women’s cancers. Also appearing September 18, 2008 - Washington, DC Etan Thomas was the keynote speaker at the recognition ceremony for the DC Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services. Etan spoke to the group about overcoming stereotypes and becoming positive members of society. He also congratulated them on October 7, 2008 - Salt Lake City, UT Chris Wingert, a starting defender for Real Salt Lake, has visited the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Salt Lake many times throughout the summer and fall. In June, Chris held a soccer clinic for boys and girls around the area. In his clinic, Chris September 14, 2008 - Chicago, IL On Sunday, September 14th, Jonathan Spector visited the KEEN Chicago sports program at the High Ridge YMCA. Jonathan plays internationally for West Ham United in the English Premier League but was back home in Chicago recovering from injury. September 12, 2008 - Chicago, IL On Friday, former MLB strength and conditioning coach, Trent Clark attended a WNBA Chicago Sky game with the Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation in Chicago, IL. Trent has been working with Starlight Midwest to enhance the programs they September 12, 2008 - Baltimore, MD On Friday morning Garrett Olson, left-handed pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles, stopped by Johns Hopkins Children's Center. Garrett visited with the kids, answered all their questions and took plenty of photos with each child. September 2008 - Grand Rapids, MI Olympic Distance Runner Paul McMullen partnered with the YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids to create a running program for kids of all ages. With Paul’s expertise, passion, and enthusiasm, the YMCA created a running program for kids that culminated in a August 23, 2008 - Houston TX Bonnie St. John, a former Shriners Hospital for Children patient who grew up to become a Winter Paralympics ski champion visited patients at Shriners Hospital for Children in the Texas Medical Center Aug. 23. Bonnie St. John won a silver and two August 29, 2008 - Cincinnati, OH After Kerri Walsh and teammate Misty May-Treanor successfully defended their Gold Medal at the 2008 Olympics, they are returning to action on the AVP Crocs Tour in Mason, OH. On Friday after her match, Kerri and her Chase the Stars Foundation will August 2008 - Kansas City, MO The Kauffman Foundation launched the Sports Bytes initiative aimed at using sports to teach math and science skills to youth. Sports-themed lessons can be downloaded to any cellular phone, and with cell phones now the most utilized form of August 27, 2008 – Philadelphia, PA Members of Genworth Financial, New Kensington Community Development Corporation, NeighborWorks America, Franklin’s Paine, Friends of Pop’s and prominent local financial advisors of the Philadelphia community banded together with Chris Therien of the August 16, 2008 - Compton, CA After retiring from Beach Volleyball in July, Eric Fonoimoana wasn't in Beijing to compete for another Gold Medal. Instead, he was home in California, and spent the morning of August 16th at the YMCA of Greater Los Angeles helping volunteers from August 13, 2008 - Chicago, IL On Wednesday, Dasan Robinson visited the Gen. Robert E. Wood Boys and Girls Club in downtown Chicago. Dasan spoke to kids about his experiences and how they can work hard and follow their dreams. He also answered many questions for the kids. August 1, 2008 - Dorchester, MA On Friday, Advisors from AFH Corporate Partner Genworth Financial took the day off from work to get involved in a special community revitalization project in Dorchester. They teamed up with the Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation, an August 2008 - Utah County, UT Noelle Pikus Pace, a US Skeleton World Champion, has seen her share of adversity in her athletic career. In 2001 Noelle suffered a compound fracture of her lower right leg as a result of a freak accident when she was struck by a bobsled, causing her August 30, 2008 - Aurora, CO Amanda Stevens and her Team Powerbar/TriOkies, made up of Randy Sadler and Luke Hooper are competing in the 24 Hours of Triathlon Team Challenge in Aurora, Colorado. They are raising money to Help Defeat Childhood Cancer as part of RACC: Racers July 2008 - Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa Jambo…jambo” It is chant and chorus–Hakuna Matata–the song that The Lion King made famous. The porters, guides cooks, etc. surround me. I recognize Freddy, Solomon, Seki and a few others, but most–especially the ones leading the song, I haven’t seen Salt Lake City, UT - June 27, 2008 Preston Griffall, a member of the USA Luge Team visited the Boys and Girls Club of Sugarhouse. Preston took the children to Olympic Park, where he taught them all the exercises necessary to becoming a Luge expert. After the Luge clinic, the kids were Washington, DC - June 18, 2008 On Wednesday, NBA All-Rookie Team member Jeff Green, made a special visit to the Lombardi Center at Georgetown University Hospital, where the Hope for Henry Foundation was holding its annual Summer Carnival for all the kids being treated there. It Colorado Springs - June 12, 2008 Amanda Stevens, M.D. and Olympic Triathlete hopeful visited the Boys & Girls Club of the Pikes Peak Region on Monday to discuss getting involved in the area. Amanda hopes to set up a running program for the kids within the Club to encourage them to June 14, 2008 - Houston, TX Stuart Holden, Craig Waibel, Patrick Ianni and Michael Chabala of Major League Soccer’s Houston Dynamo teamed up with the Texas Children’s Cancer Center to raise funds for Nick Doize, of Katy, Texas and other children who are treated at the Center. June 13, 2008 - Salt Lake City, UT On Friday night US Luge Olympic Team Member, Preston Griffall attended Relay for Life in Salt Lake City, UT. Preston spoke at the opening ceremonies and shared his personal story of his Mom’s battle with Cancer. Preston stayed for the all-night June 13, 2008 - Windham, MA The Manchester Journal The 6th annual Ross Powers Foundation Golf Tournament will be held Friday, June 13 at Tater Hill Golf Club, 6802 Popple Dungeon Road, Windham. The event is sponsored by Okemo Mountain. Registration begins at 12 June 12, 2008 - Salt Lake City, UT Chris visited patients at Shriner’s Hospital for Children in Salt Lake City on June 12, 2008. Chris had a great time hanging out with the kids and can’t wait to go back again soon. June 7, 2008 - Trent Clark, former MLB Strength and Conditioning Coach helps out Make-A-Wish Illinois Skokie, IL - June 7, 2008 On Saturday, Trent and his family attended the Make-A-Wish Pedal for Wishes event, in Skokie, IL. Despite some minor bike trouble by Trent in the 10 mile ride, the entire family had a wonderful time. The event included a Children's Pedal Parade Over the past couple months, Gold Medalist Lori Chalupny has been working with KEEN St. Louis. Lori has attended KEEN sessions to work one-on-one with the kids, as well as attend special fundraising events. Now that Lori has been selected to play May 2008 - Bend, OR Paul Hait, a 1960 Olympic Gold Medalist in the breaststroke, has been helping inspire peoples' lives with the Hope Ring. Paul’s wife Betsy bought him the hope ring which ended up saving his life and many others. After putting the ring on for the Kensington, MD - May 28, 2008 On Wednesday May 28, Etan Thomas of the Washington Wizards visited the Newport Mill Middle School in Kensington, Maryland. Etan shared his story about growing up in Harlem, and taught the students the importance of following your dreams no matter May 29, 2008 - Salt Lake City, UT Preston Griffall, a member of the US Luge Team since 2000, has been spending his time visiting the Shriner's Hospital for Children in Salt Lake City. A Salt Lake City native, Preston wanted to take the time to give back to his hometown community. He Chicago, IL - May 17, 2008 On Saturday May 17th, Bakary Soumare along with Sparky, the Fire mascot, attended the annual Epilepsy Walk. Bakary and Sparky the mascot came out and mingled with the crowd. They also handed out coupons for $5 off game tickets. Afterwards, Bakary Dallas, TX – May 15, 2008 After being introduced to Athletes for Hope by her Women’s National Team teammates, Kacey White immediately jumped right in a got involved in her community. While home in the Dallas area, Kacey became active with two wonderful organizations in the Washington, DC - May 10, 2008 The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team took a break from their busy training schedule to visit Children’s National Medical Center in Northwest Washington, DC and the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington in Southeast Washington, DC. The team is May 4, 2008 - Denver, CO Join JD's Touchdown Club for the 2008 Season: Help John Dutton’s Touchdowns Save Lives While John is throwing touchdowns to win games you can choose to help his touchdowns save lives as well. By teaming our resources we CAN make a MAJOR difference April 28, 2008 - New York, NY On Monday, April 28th, Hunter Freeman was a special guest at the Annual America Scores National Poetry Slam. The event brought together kids from all over the country to recite the inspiring poetry that they had written in the America Scores soccer April 26, 2008 - Damascus, PA On Saturday April 26, ARC of Wayne County, in conjunction with local school districts, will host the annual Bike-Hike. Every year ARC hosts the event to raise money for the Dyberry Day Camp. The Dyberry Camp, now in its 38th year, is a local summer April 24, 2008 - Bowling Green, KY By Michael Compton - The Daily News When you're a professional tennis player, a lot of time and focus go into improving your craft, but that doesn't mean there isn't a little time to give back to the community as well. That's just what April 19, 2008 - Raleigh, NC On Saturday, April 19, 2,000 people and 830 dogs marched through the streets of Raleigh to help save the lives of homeless animals. The 9th annual SPCA K9-3K set records as the biggest and most successful dog walk in SPCA history and Raleigh city April 15, 2008 - Washington, DC On Tuesday, John and Cindi Harkes visited the kids at Children’s National Medical Center. The soccer couple went into individual rooms to see the kids and hung out in the Playroom as well. They took pictures, signed autographs and brought a little April 2008 - New York, NY In March, Kate visted the Bideawee program in New York. She met with the staff and got to see part of the Pet Therapy program which reaches over 6,000 children and adults in 120 health care and special education facilities. Kate will continue to be April 3, 2008 - Long Beach, CA Sam Querrey stopped by Miller Children's Hospital in Long Beach, CA on Thursday, April 3rd to meet and hang out with some of the kids. Sam talked with the kids, took some pictures and joined them in some video games. Everybody had a wonderful time. March 31, 2008 - Orlando, FL Marcio Torres stopped by Florida Children’s Hospital on Monday. Marcio spent two and half hours playing the kids in the community playroom. Though there were only a few kids in the playroom, Marcio was able to spend a lot of time with them and March 30, 2008 - Long Beach, CA On March 30, 2008 Paralympic skier Bonnie St. John will be a panelist at the Girls Inc. National Conference which will take place in Long Beach, California. Girls Inc. is an organization dedicated to helping young girls become March 25, 2008 - Boston, MA After having such a wonderful time at her first visit, Kristine Lilly returned to Boston Children's Hospital on March 25th to visit some of the individual rooms the brave kids who inspire her so much. Kristine talked about the experience on her March 15, 2008 - Park City, UT On March 15, 2008, The National Ability Center held its Red, White and Snow dinner which raises funds for the Center. During the dinner a live auction took place in which one the auctioned items was a chance to attend a Summer Aerial camp with March 14, 2008 - Long Beach, CA In between her busy schedule practicing and travelling with the National Team, Leslie Osborne made time to visit the Miller Children's Hospital. Leslie met some children in their rooms and then hung out others in the Recreation Area. In addition to March 2008 - Wilton, CT Lilly, midfielder and captain of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, will host the camp from June 23-25. The site of the camp is Ambler Fields, Wilton, CT. and both boys and girls between the ages of 7 and 13 are eligible for participation. February 16, 2008 - U.S. Women's Hockey Bronze Medalist Jamie Hagerman helps out with KEEN KidsFebruary 16, 2006 - Washington, DC Jamie Hagerman, a 2003 Four Nations Cup Gold Medalist, 2005 Four Nations Cup Silver Medalist, 2005 World Champion and 2006 Olympic Bronze Medalist for the U.S. Women’s Hockey team recently spent a Saturday afternoon with the kids from KEEN (Kids February 2008 Highly decorated Olympic Gymnast and AFH team member, Shannon Miller, recently announced the formation of the Shannon Miller Foundation, which is dedicated to fighting childhood obesity. Today, an estimated one third of all children in the United February 2, 2008 - Atlanta, GA On February 2, St. Louis Rams star Chris Draft and The Chris Draft Family Foundation hosted Draft Day” which helps attendees to Get Checked and Get Fit.” The annual half-day camp focused on educating families on living healthy lifestyles. The camp February 13, 2008 - Boston, MA On Wednesday February 13, Kristine went up to the Boston Children's Hospital to visit with the kids and interview for their monthly in-hospital television show for kids. Kristine wrote about her experience on her website. Here is what she had to say: February 2008 Jay Demerit announced that his website, working in coordination with Just Giving, has raised 2,118.00 thus far and it’s just getting started! Just Giving is a foundation which seeks to help ordinary people raise extraordinary amounts of money for February 11, 2008 - Cleveland, OH On February 11, 2008 Cleveland Browns linebacker Kamerion Wimbley participated in the READ WITH THE BROWNS program at a Cuyahoga County Public Library. Wimbley read the book Hush Little Digger by Ellen Olson Brown to an eager group of elementary February 2008 - Houston, TX Ricardo Clark has visited the Houston Boys & Girls Club soccer program during the offseason. He stopped by in early January and February to speak to the kids and help out with soccer drills and life skills. January 27, 2008 - John Harkes and the Georgetown Cheerleaders join forces with other Superheroes to help the Hope for Henry Foundation January 27, 2008 - Silver Spring, MD On Sunday, January 27, Superheroes of all ages gathered at the AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, MD. Some were familiar figures Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, others included National Soccer Hall of Famer, John Harkes, members of the January 24, 2008 - Phoenix, AZ Former NFL player and Super Bowl Champion Roland Williams, and Youth Lifeline America will be hosting One Super Weekend,” a series of celebrity fundraising events in conjunction with Super Bowl XLII. Professional athletes and Hollywood stars will January 2008 - Raleigh, NC University of North Carolina standout and US Women’s Soccer Team Member Cat Whitehill has teamed up with the SPCA of Wake County to help the homeless pets of the area. Cat and her husband rescued their own dog, Izzy, while out in California and she January 22, 2008 - Oswego, NY Robert Hensel was born with a birth defect known as spina bifida. A disability that has not stopped him from achieving success in his life. Robert serves as an Advocate for the disabled, an on-going effort to better the rights of all Americans with Sacramento, CA - January 15, 2008 Christina Fusano spent an afternoon at the Shriners Hospital for Children in Northern California on Tuesday, January 15th. Christina spoke with the kids, handed out pictures and autographs and brought along her tennis racket for the kids to play January 2008 - Chascomus, Argentina Charly Berlocq, an ATP tennis player from Argentina, recently held an exhibition for charity in his hometown of Chascomus. Charly played with the kids, signed autographs and spoke to the crowd. Last December, Charly held another exhibition with January 2008 - Madera, CA During the MLS off-season, Mike Chabala was home near Madera, CA. Mike has gotten very involved in the Houston community where he plays with the Dynamo, and wanted to get more involved in his hometown. Mike visited Valley Children’s Hospital and | PDF version of the AFH playbook is available now |
© 2009 Athletes for Hope