For the second year in a row, Athletes for Hope members have united for our annual Hope for the Holidays campaign. The campaign is set up for athletes who might have some extra time during the holiday season to go out and give their time to the community. We received a high volume of responses from the AFH members and it turned out to be a great experience once again. Throughout our campaign Athletes for Hope set up over 61 connections across the country. Athlete members from a wide range of sports and teams participated in helping homeless shelters, writing letters to troops serving abroad, and visiting children’s’ hospitals.
Here are few examples of Athletes for Hope members making a difference this holiday season…
- Daniel Merklinger (Milwaukee Brewers) visited The West Orange Boys and Girls Club to help Compose a letter to our troops for the holidays.
- Shawn Kuykendall (MLS) visited the Homeless Children’s Playtime Project (HCPP) and hung out and participated with their scheduled holiday festivities.
- Cat Whitehill (Atlanta Beat), Leslie Osborne (Boston Breakers), and Kristine Lilly (US National Soccer retired) – Boston Children’s Hospital
- Julianne Sitch (Atlanta Beat) visited Children’s Memorial Hospital and kids at Gilda’s Club Chicago
- Katie Bethke (Atlanta Beat) visited the B&G Club of Greater Chippewa Valley and Eau Claire YMCA (12/12) to do letter writing campaigns for our troops.
- Noelle Pikus Pace (Olympic Skeleton) visited the Huntsman Cancer Institute and donated 200 hats with hair to patients there.
- Carin Gabarra (Navy) visited the Annapolis Boys and Girls Club and worked with the kids to compose a letter to our troops for the holidays.
When asked about the importance of our troops, Carin Gabarra stated, “During the holiday season, it is very important to show our love and support of our troops, especially when many are far away from families and friends defending and protecting our freedom. I want to sincerely thank all the servicemen and servicewomen all over the world for the sacrifices they and their families make every day. We all know they are more than just our protectors…you are spouses, parents, children, siblings and friends. While we enjoy our families and friends during this holiday season, we all should think of them as they put their lives on the line so that strangers can walk in freedom. We owe them more than anything that can be put in words.”