A million reasons to help others
From http://www.rep-am.com/
By Tommy Valuckas
WATERTOWN — You’ve just won a million dollars and have become an instant celebrity. Now what do you do?
Ethan Zohn posed that question to a student assembly at Taft School Tuesday morning, and the loudest, light-hearted answer shouted back was predictable.
“More pizza.” The response brought a broad grin across Zohn’s face.
After winning “Survivor: Africa,” the third season of the CBS reality television series, Zohn certainly had the opportunity to satisfy any pizza cravings, and more, for the rest of his life. But he eschewed the fortune in favor of making a difference in the fight against HIV/AIDS on the very continent where he previously played professional soccer.
“I had to lose myself in order to find myself,” Zohn said.
What he found was that once you discover who you are and what you are, you will know how to respond to any challenge and overcome it — you can survive any situation.
Zohn’s appearance at Taft was arranged through The Curriculum Initiative, a national nonprofit educational institution that supports Jewish student life within the diverse culture of independent schools. He credits his upbringing and the development of a values system for getting him through the arduous 39 days of television shooting at the Shaba National Reserve in Kenya, and his ultimate decision to forgo a personal fortune.
Tossing out self-depreciating remarks throughout his talk, Zohn, 31, did commentary for an amusing yet slick video that was a composite of scenes that traced his grueling endurance tests during the series that aired in the fall of 2001. Interspersed were images of East African countryside and its inhabitants, many of them smiling children.
“The whole thing was just a game,” said Zohn, a Lexington, Mass., native who now resides in New York City. “I got involved with ‘Survivor’ as a joke, but once I got in, I wanted to win.”
He quipped fasting wasn’t a problem, nor were the unusual meals because he had endured “nasty food” at Hebrew School. But he wasn’t prepared for the loneliness and being away from family.
Zohn said he was up earliest and volunteered for the dirty chores, tried to buoy the spirits of his competitors and was the last one to bed at night. His prized possession among his limited belongings was a Hacky Sack, a small fabric ball that is bounced off the feet, head and chest usually between two or more players standing in a circle.
Zohn said he gave it away to a local child and it was his most memorable “Survivor” moment.
“It wasn’t until I saw the glee in that little boy’s eyes,” Zohn said, that he realized the importance of what he had done. “It was the best time in my life, and the best time in their lives.”
An individual’s true colors come out when all their “luxuries” are taken away, he said.
A Vassar College graduate with a degree in biology, Zohn said he was 14 when his father died of colon cancer, and he still vividly remembers how the Jewish community rallied around in support of his family. “There are shared community values that can help you master any challenge,” he told the assembly.
He didn’t know it at the time, but those values indoctrinated into his being would re-emerge in Africa and unite with his passion for soccer.
Zohn was a goalie for the Highlanders Football (soccer) Club in Zimbabwe and played for the U.S. National Maccabiah Team (Israel) in 1997 and 2001, among his soccer exploits. He saw the poverty, the “broken souls,” the three-mile-long bread lines and the scourge of HIV/AIDS that was devastating Zimbabwe.
“What does a white person do to help with the AIDS problem?” he asked himself.
Nothing. Zohn said he backed away and shirked any responsibility. He was also trying to come to grips with the death of a beloved soccer teammate, presumably by AIDS.
“Survivor: Africa” ironically brought him back to the Dark Continent, only this time there would be no turning his back. After being declared the winner, Zohn sought out advice from U2 singer Bono, a world-renowned spokesman in the fight against the AIDS pandemic in Africa, and remembered a statement by Martin Luther King Jr.: “The time is always right to do what is right.”
Zohn took his winnings and founded Grassroots Soccer, a nonprofit organization that trains Africa’s professional soccer players to teach children about HIV/AIDS prevention. He has been national spokesman for America Scores, an organization that helps inner city youngsters participate in educational soccer programs, and now lectures throughout the country about his charitable endeavors.
Because soccer is the world’s most popular sport and African children idolize the continent’s soccer stars, Zohn said it made sense to recruit the players for the daunting teaching job.
“Make a difference in yourself by making a difference to others,” Zohn instructed the Taft students. He urged them to change one person at a time, fight for a just cause and live the school’s motto of “Not to be served but to serve.”
“The purpose of having Zohn’s presentation is to demonstrate to students that their values, whether religious or civic, affect how they view and alter the world,” said the Rev. Michael Spencer, Taft chaplain.
“I thoroughly enjoyed his presentation,” said Taft junior J.B. Brittain of Summit, N.J. “It’s probably one of the more inspiring morning programs we’ve had. I like his emphasis on commitment to morals and values.”
Adrien Uretsky, New England program coordinator for The Curriculum Initiative, said “students are looking for some young, hip faces that have a message.” Zohn’s story, she said, serves as a model for how “religious and cultural values provide meaningful guidance for people when they are confronted with daily life decisions.”
Copyright © 2005 Republican-American