While it’s not something we usually solicit, last spring we received a donation of soccer balls after a conversation with Jens, the collection lead at our partner organization, Clinton Presbyterian Church. During their collection event in June, our founder Dave stopped by to say hello and spent some time sharing stories about P4P. He mentioned a small project he took on years ago, where he sent cleats to a program in Central America. This prompted Jens to bring up his involvement with Union Township Recreation and mention that they had some soccer balls nearing the end of their lifespan. Although these balls still had plenty of use left, they were being cycled out ahead of the fall soccer season. Since they were still in good condition and holding air, we decided to see if any of our current programs would be interested in receiving them.
While we may disagree on what to call it, soccer is truly an international language, so it’s no surprise that our partners at the Kola Nut Producers Association (KNPA) were thrilled to be offered these balls. Not only was KNPA eager to accept the balls, but they were already connected to the Tonkia Chiefdom community football team, which was in need of equipment.
We’d like to thank Jens, the Clinton Presbyterian Church, and Union Township Recreation for making this possible. While we can’t guarantee that we’ll be able to accept soccer and other sports equipment at our collections, we encourage you to consider donating any unwanted sports equipment to one of these charities:
Sports Equipment Donations
- Miscellaneous Sports Equipment: Leveling the Playing Field
- Baseball/Softball Equipment: Pitch In for Baseball & Softball
- Soccer Equipment:
Update from our friends in Sierra Leone
Patrick Mansaray, Coordinator of the Kola Nut Producer Association, has fulfilled his commitment to donate 20 footballs to the Tonkia Chiefdom football community team as part of the consignment received from Pedals for Progress in the United States.
This pledge was made during a training session held at the Tonkia football community field in Dalu Village on October 12, 2024.
The young local football team expressed profound gratitude to Pedals for Progress for this generous donation. They noted that these footballs would greatly enhance their training efforts and serve as an inspiration to continue supporting their team.
In their expressions of thanks, community stakeholders conveyed their appreciation to Pedals for Progress and voiced optimism for future support.
“We know you have many options when it comes to donating, and we are so grateful that you chose to support our cause. We promise to be responsible stewards of both your donation and your trust,” said the football team captain, Alex Gogra.
