MPH Girls Soccer Team continues their work with Project Smiles

Since 2010, the MPH Girls Varsity Soccer Team, led by Coach Pat Bentley Hoke, has partnered with Projecto Sonrisas, (Project Smiles) to help children in need in Colombia. Soccer is the connection between MPH and this worthy cause, as its founder, Oscar Vergara, runs the Maxwell Park Summer Soccer League in which MPH participates annually.

This year, the team is helping the children of the Institución Educativa Barrio Santa Cruz. They were given a list of 31 children ranging in age from six to ten  who all live in a “Commune,” a small, impoverished community; all of them (along with their families) have been displaced by the guerilla wars in Colombia. Their mission was to provide gifts to each of these children to help lift their spirits this holiday season. The kids asked for typical children’s wish-list items such as soccer balls, dolls, and legos – but also asked for what we would consider basics: school shoes, jeans, and jackets.

The MPH team fulfilled these wish lists and were able to add other items such as back packs, coloring books, and candy.

Year after year, the MPH Girls Soccer Team makes a tremendous difference in the lives of these young children in Colombia. We are proud of their efforts, their kindness, and their global thinking.

Photos of the many boxes ready to be shipped: