2nd Annual "Lose the Shoes" Tournament and Fundraiser for FPV

While the long Vermont winter precluded barefoot soccer, 25 teams enthusiastically participated in Saturday's 3 v. 3 indoor soccer tournament and fundraiser at the University of Vermont. Over a 100 participants raised nearly $1500 in support of Futbol para la Vida, an HIV/AIDS prevention education program run by peer educators from Batey Libertad, Saman, and Batey Caraballo. This was UVM's second Lose the Shoes tournament, part of a nationwide network of fundraisers by colleges and universities in support of Grassroot Soccer and affiliate programs such as UVM's very own Futbol para la Vida.

During a short intermission between round robin play and the playoffs, UVM students who are currently leading a Grassroot Soccer inspired program in St. Lucia demonstrated a number of GRS games to the participants, including "Hide the Ball" seen in the photo to the left. All and all the event was a huge success, and we look forward to the upcoming Fall travel-study class to the Dominican Republic to keep this newest tradition alive.

Special thanks go out to all the businesses and clubs that donated equipment, team prizes and raffle items, including Chaco, Ben & Jerry's, Dino’s Pizza, Burlington Bakery and Café, Cynthia’s Spa, Bove’s, Green Mountain Coffee, Essex United Soccer Club, The Soccer Center, Shaw’s, Vermont Cares, and WRUV. Thanks are also due to the tireless efforts of Lena Forman (UVM '08) who organized both the Fall and Spring tournaments, and to her team of volunteers including Michele Mannino, Courtnay Pilypaitis, Carolyn Smalkowski, Tristam Coffin, Emily Piazza, Matt Linder, Liza Martin, Erica Bryan, Risa Monsen, Heather Bromberg, Dylan Butler, John, April Orleans, Chris Wardell, and Gregg Bates.

Ethan Zohn joins UVM community as 3rd Annual Libertad speaker

Ethan Zohn, winner of Survivor:Africa and co-founder of Grassroot Soccer, was the Third Annual Libertad speaker at the University of Vermont on Friday, April 4th. During an inspirational talk drawing on his own life experiences since winning Survivor:Africa, Ethan asked the crowd at Rowell Hall, “what makes you the person you are today” and “is that person someone who is preoccupied with their own life, or do you want to use your power and knowledge of who you are to make a different for others”. He challenged students, staff, faculty, and community members in attendance to think about what they would want to be on the “highlight tape” of their life, discussing the value of good character and giving back.

Ethan has used his own "15 minutes of fame" and winnings from Survivor to co-found Grassroot Soccer, an NGO that uses the power of soccer and role models as a tool in the fight against AIDS in Africa. During the second half of his talk Ethan described the GRS model of empowering youth with the knowledge, skills, and peer support to live HIV free.

The Futbol para la Vida (FPV) program in the Dominican Republic is modeled after GRS and run by peer educators at Batey Libertad, Saman, and Batey Caraballo in dozens of communities throughout the island. FPV volunteers will be joining Ethan for a day during Dribble 2008, a Fall fundraiser for Grassroot Soccer featuring Ethan dribbling a soccer ball from Boston to Washington, DC. To support GRS, FPV, and AIDS awareness, please visit Ethan's fundraising page at www.GrassrootSoccerUnited.org.

Ethan's talk was the third in the Libertad Speakers Series at the University of Vermont. Michele Wucker, author of "Why the Cocks Fight: Dominicans, Haitians, and the Struggle for Hispaniola", kicked off the annual event in 2005, followed by Julia Alvarez in 2006, award winning writer of "How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents" and "In the Time of the Butterflies".

Thanks to Ethan for visiting UVM and for his ongoing support of Futbol para la Vida. A special thanks to Lena Forman (UVM '08) for organizing Ethan's visit and the annual "Lose the Shoes" barefoot soccer tournament and fundraiser the following day.