Cycling to support the troops

2007 FACE of America Bike Ride

While this cause doesn't send soccer balls to Iraq, it will lend support and encouragement to servicemen and women wounded in duty. This 100-mile bike ride is an annual event open to any active duty serviceman or woman (for free) and anyone else who wants to participate. Civilian participants must raise sponsorship funds of $500 and this goes to pay all the costs of the participating soldiers (travel, food, housing, bikes, and any other costs associated with the ride).

Eric's parents, Nicholas and Trudy are both planning to be a part of this year's ride, April 28-29, and would love to have your support. If you would like to sponsor them in this incredible cycling journey (100 miles in two days? Ouch!), please visit the World Team Sports webpage, click on Sponsor Participant and search for Nicholas Roles or Trudy Roles. We will post pictures from the experience afterwards.

We all wish Nick and Trudy well in training for this event and let's hope the weather on the East Coast is warmer by April 28! The bike ride is from Gettysburg to the National Navy Medical Center. Good luck!

Decatur High School in Atlanta Georgia collects for Eric's Goal

Cheryl Kopec-Nahmias teaches at Decatur High School in Atlanta, Georgia, where she headed up a collection night last week. And what a collection it was!!! At Wednesday night's soccer game at Decatur High School, fans came out and donated new and gently used balls and gear to Eric's Goal. Here's the total:

Balls: 68
Cleats: 22
Socks: 30
Players Jersies: 38
Practice Pinnies: 31
Mini-Goals: 1
Practice cones: 28
Shorts: 20
Goalie Jersies: 2
Goalie gloves: 2
Shin Guards: 9

Cheryl said, "It was a good night in Decatur, and people were really happy to do something to help the cause." With the help of her sons; Lucas and Sam, and her parents; Bernard and Helen Kopec, Cheryl packed up over 10 boxes of equipment for the Iraqi children! Cheryl's parents have volunteered to mail the boxes to our American soldiers this week.

Many thanks to Cheryl Kopec-Nahmias and Decatur High School for sponsoring this successful drive! And thanks too to Bernard and Helen Kopec for their help in packing and posting the many boxes of equipment! Children in Iraq will soon be playing with soccer balls and equipment donated from children in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.!

GO TEAM - we have a new total of 3,195 soccer balls collected for the Iraqi children!

Tunes 4 the Troops to help with Eric's Goal

Eric recently met an incredible young lady who has been sending CDs and DVDs to our troops. Her name is Kaylee and she is accepting donations of new and used CDs and DVDs as well as monetary donations. If you are interested in helping Kaylee, please see her web site at: http://www.tunes4thetroops.20m.com/index.html. This is a great way to support our young men and women by supplying entertainment to the troops.

Kaylee is going to help Eric's Goal by supplying us with new contacts to send the soccer balls to.

Our appreciation goes to Kaylee for supporting our troops!

SOCCER BALL PURCHASE RAISES TOTAL TO 3,121!!!

Our February 28, 2007 purchase of 72 soccer balls and 8 pumps gives us a grand total of 3,121 soccer balls sent to Iraq thus far!

The generous donations from members of Perry Hall United Methodist Chruch and from a group of residents on Maryland's Eastern Shore, we were able to make this recent purchase from Sports Authority. Again we would like to thank Betty Shock and Bunny Barker at Perry Hall United Methodist Church for making this contact with Sports Authority. We would also like to thank the Easton Volunteer Fire Department for accepting donations from local residents and forwarding them to Eric's aunt, Shirley Crook.

SGT John Lucas and his men will be busy distributing a total of 101 soccer balls sent to him in Iraq within the last week!

Thank you everyone! We continue to make good strides toward our goal! There will be many smiles for Iraqi children in the upcoming weeks, thanks to your generosity!

ECAC Partners with Brine Corp for Charity

Interim Commissioner Steve Bamford (left) and Director of Championships Gothard Lane (right), fill a box with soccer balls for "Eric's Goal".

Gothard Lane, Director of Championships at the Eastern College Athletic Conference in Centerville, MA, first received word of Eric's Goal through his niece, Marine Corps First Lieutenant Ruth Wilson, who is currently stationed in Fallujah, Iraq. Gothard then contacted us via e-mail and within a week began partnering with Brine Corp to send soccer balls to our headquarters for shipment to the Iraqi kids.

We have received 25 soccer balls thus far from ECAC & Brine Corp. and these were mailed to SFC John Lucas who will distribute them to the Iraqi children. Thank you to SFC Lucas for joining our team as well!

Gothard then posted an article on the ECAC website and posted Eric's Goal contact information for others who wish to contribute soccer balls to the Iraqi children. (www.ecac.org)

Below is an excerpt from the website:
Steve Bamford, Interim Commissioner of the ECAC stated “The program provides a recreational outlet from the harsh environment. It’s also a great way for the troops to interact with the locals as they learn from each other through sport.”

As of today we have reached a total of 3,049 soccer balls sent to our U.S. military men and women for distribution to the Iraqi children!

Our deepest appreciation to Gothard Lane, Steve Bamford, the ECAC and Brine Corp. for your contributions! And our sincere thanks to Gothard's niece First Leiutenant Ruth Wilson who has taken the time out of her hectic schedule to think of helping the Iraqi children, and to SFC John Lucas for distributing the soccer balls to the Iraqi kids!

Military Moms & Dads Luncheon at UNO,s Harbor Place in Baltimore, MD

Many thanks to Lite 101.9 FM radio and UNO's Harbor Place in Baltimore for sponsoring the Military Mom's & Dad's Luncheon on Feb. 11, 2007. Steve Rouse from Lite 101.9 invited us to come to represent Eric's Goal. My sister Helen & I gratefully attended. It was wonderful to meet the proud parents of some of our finest young men and women; those dedicated to protecting us and our freedoms by serving in the United States Military. We met parents of service men & women in various branches of the military; Army, Marines, Navy, Coast Guard and Air Force.

It was a pleasure to be able to represent Eric’s Goal and to network with other parents who are working on goals to support not only our troops, but their families as well. We were so impressed by Becky Campbell, founder of Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund (www.childrenoffallensoldiersrelieffund.org), who has put her heart and soul into a project to help those not as fortunate as she and I. Fortunately Becky’s son returned from his tour in Iraq. But Becky has not forgotten about those who have lost their loved ones. She continues to be present for families of fallen members of our military, those who made the ultimate sacrifice by giving their lives for the good of us all. We learned about America Supports You and TAPS, and met Jamie, a young woman who wants to start a support group for military family members of those serving in Iraq and other combat zones.

Many people showed an interest in Eric's Goal and took information with them. One attendee even made a monetary donation; Linda Collins donated $20.00! I am sure we will be able to reach our goal of 5,000 soccer balls with the help of the many wonderful families in our communities who support our troops and want to have a positive impact on the Iraqi children as well.

Georgia Kids birthday collections for Eric's Goal

Eric's cousin, Cheryl Kopec-Nahmias & her husband Eddy Nahmias have one very generous little boy named Lucas. And Lucas has two equally generous friends, Drew and Virginia. The three of them, all from Atlanta, Georgia, have celebrated their birthdays by requesting soccer balls as presents which they then forwarded to Iraq for the children there.

Many thanks to these generous children for sharing their birthdays with kids who are less fortunate than they are. Lucas, Drew and Virginia are demonstrating to the Iraqi children the true American spirit and our hopes for them and their future.