What Amber Tollefson enjoys most about her work is the joy on the faces of the children her organization helps. Founder of The Give N Go Project, Tollefson and other former soccer players and coaches collect soccer gear and conduct free clinics for children in need.
“We see them running around with smiles,” said Tollefson, “It’s great because they are going to be able to use the cleats, and use the soccer balls to continue to play.”
Recently Give N Go donated soccer balls, cleats, shin guards and jerseys to 200 K4 through 8th graders at the Journey House/Longfellow summer camp in Clarke Square.
Journey House Director of Community Relations Cherise Myers, said that resources to play soccer are hard to come by for many of the kids at the summer camp.
“We don’t have a lot of funding to get kids the kind of resources they need, so having The Give N Go Project offer to give soccer equipment free of charge is a huge benefit to this community,” Myers said.
Tollefson played soccer in college and after traveling saw a need for sporting resources in foster homes and orphanages in low-income areas. She and her soccer community aim to empower children and bridge socioeconomic gaps by fostering skills, confidence and a team atmosphere through soccer. The Florida-based project has donated new and used equipment and sponsored sports clinics in locations all over the United States and in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, the Bahamas, Haiti, Liberia and Colombia.
“We can basically breathe new life out of old gear,” said Tollefson
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