Sometimes, the only thing that makes everything all right in this crazy world is to kick the ball around. That's why Tim Adams (reporter with CBC Radio in Edmonton) started Free Footie, a grassroots effort to get kids in Edmonton area schools to play soccer.
He was coaching an inner city school team at the time, and all of his players were refugees, newcomers, First Nations, in group homes or foster kids. Some were even living on the street.
"You name it, those kids had seen it," he said.
Many of the players had to bring along their siblings who they were in charge of. All of the younger kids wanted to play too. Adams saw that he needed to expand his services. Now, there's a league of 76 teams as Free Footie goes into its sixth season, with 1,200 youths participating.
And they all need shoes.
That's where Cathy Kitching and Liz Jepsen have stepped in. The Play it Forward – Soccer Shoe Drive started up this week to collect 1,250 pairs of gently used indoor or outdoor soccer shoes for the effort. It's all co-ordinated by the St. Albert Soccer Association 2002 Boys Impact Team.
"He started this by just getting used soccer equipment to the inner city kids so that anyone who wanted to play soccer can," Kitching said. "He organizes everything for all the schools and he supplies them with all the equipment."
Her son plays for the Impact, and his coach is Liz Jepsen, who also coaches for the U of A Panda team. She volunteers with Free Footie and put the word out about the much-needed footwear.
"[Jepsen] and her Pandas team have been tasked with raising these soccer shoes. So it's trickled down to my son's soccer team and I said, 'Sure, I'll see what I can do at the St. Albert level.'"
They hope to accomplish their goal by April 1.
Bins have been placed inside the registration room during soccer tryouts for the next two weeks at Servus Place. Collections are also taking place at both TD Canada Trust branches in this city, as well as several others throughout Edmonton and one in Stony Plain.
Kitching said that anything collected over and above what Free Footie needs would go to the St. Albert Soccer Association.
"They have families that they also support."
To learn more about the campaign, visit www.freefootie.ca.
People who have shoe donations but can't make it to Servus Place can also contact Lorissa at 780-499-3606 to arrange for a pickup.
Campout update
A small but hardy group of St. Albert Firefighters managed to take in one of the winter's last blasts of cold from March 1 to 4 but the firefighters who endured the bitter breezes and frosty flakes had their hearts warmed by the overwhelming response from the public.
The most recent Rooftop Campout has already amassed $40,907.69 for Muscular Dystrophy Canada, which means the firefighters have already bested their goal for the campaign. The figure is still swelling, due in large part to the ongoing online auction.
"The guys that were up on the roof, they were just so elated with the support and the generosity of the community, of the residents, of the businesses … of the outpouring of continual support. Even when they came off the roof, people were still coming," stated Kathi Sheedy of St. Albert Fire Services.
The auction is growing daily, she added, with more than four-dozen items. An External Affairs Extravagance package (complete with $500 gift card) and a Lexus $499 detailing package are the two big-ticket packages so far.
Sheedy also mentioned that she would still accept further donations of auction items if any individual or business has something that they would like to add to the cause.
The online auction runs until 4 p.m. on Fri., March 27. People can check it out at stalbertfirefighters.com/muscular-dystrophy-silent-auction.
