F&M project targets African youth, lost teammate
From LancasterOnline.com
by Madelyn Pennino
A coach’s vision and the untimely death of a young athlete have forever changed the course of the Franklin & Marshall College men’s soccer team.
In less than two months, the team will travel to South Africa to teach children with HIV how to play soccer. The trip will honor the memory of Chris Campbell, 21, a team member who died in August while jogging near his home in Narberth.
F&M has partnered with Grassroots Soccer, a nonprofit organization that provides African youth with the knowledge, skills and support to handle HIV.
F&M’s head soccer coach, Dan Wagner, said Campbell was ecstatic about the trip.
“A little fire that was burning was the Africa project,” Wagner said. “Chris poured kerosene on it.”
As part of the service-learning project, the soccer team is raising money through community donations to build the Chris Campbell Memorial Complex in Khayelitsha Township, South Africa.
The complex will consist of one full-length soccer field with two smaller fields, lights, a fence and possibly a clubhouse. It will be used by a nearby orphanage and other children in the community.
F&M senior Ryan McGonigle said the Africa project is symbolic of Campbell’s character.
“This trip is a culmination of who Chris was,” McGonigle said. “He was all about playing with kids and was a caring person who enjoyed helping people. He was a fierce competitor, but the nicest guy off the field.”
Initially, Wagner said, the team was going to train for its preseason in Brazil. But he decided to cancel the trip last January when he heard a live video feed from U2’s lead singer, Bono, urging support for Africa’s AIDS sufferers.
Wagner said he immediately knew Africa was the right destination.
“It hit me like a thunderbolt,” Wagner said.
Senior Matt McCall said the trip is multidimensional.
“You can think about this on so many levels,” McCall said. “Chris led a very soccer-oriented lifestyle, so this is a perfect representation of him. It’s also a chance to have a positive effect on kids and teach them how to live healthy lives.”
So far, approximately $30,000 has been raised through soccer team efforts, along with community donations and college support to fund the trip. About $80,000 has been raised for the construction of the complex, with another $70,000 in pledges.
Construction on the complex should begin sometime this year.
While the team was devastated by Campbell’s death, it performed well this past season with a 15-4 record.
Wagner said the team worked relentlessly to win games for Campbell because he was a special and unique individual.
“Chris was a little redhead and everything that a redhead is,” Wagner said. “He was always causing mischief, and he always got out of it. It sounds negative, but it was in a positive way. Chris’ brain was always working when others weren’t … on and off the field.”
Campbell’s death, McGonigle said, left a void on the team.
“Chris was the center of the field; he was an integral part of the team,” McGonigle said. “Suddenly I was missing somebody I used to play with every day. I thought, ‘Where’s my boy?’ ”
Senior Brandon Corday echoed McGonigle.
“He changed a lot of who we are, ” Corday said.
After Campbell’s death, his number “10″ was painted on a field in the college’s athletic quad.
Senior Jason Keil said the trip will help the team heal.
“It will give us the big picture,” Keil said. “We won’t be in the bubble that we are here.”
Wagner said a trip to sub-Saharan Africa was the right choice because it is a region that is in need of extreme help.
According to UNICEF, sub-Saharan Africa is one of the regions hardest hit by the AIDS epidemic, with 90 percent of all children living with HIV and about 80 percent of children orphaned by AIDS.
Another reason, Wagner said, is that the FIFA 2010 World Cup will be played in South Africa.
“It was another link,” Wagner said.
Senior Brian Fisher said he is looking forward to sharing his skills with others.
“I think it’s great to use soccer and the soccer community to help them,” Fisher said.
The F&M soccer team plans to return to Khayelitsha every three years to teach students positive behavior and to prevent HIV/AIDS using soccer as a platform to create interest, build relationships and generate community spirit.
Chris Walters, a senior, said he believes the trip will give him a different perspective about life.
“It’s going to be a life-changing experience,” Walters said. “To help students develop their soccer skills with the talent we have. It’s a great platform to give back.”
Equally important, senior Dan Levi said, is it’s an opportunity for Campbell’s legacy to live on.
“The field is always going to be there,” Levi said. “It’s a way for us to remember Chris and for us all to stay close.”