‘Survivor’ winner uses status to fight AIDS
From thonline.com
Zohn tells Loras students they must remain true to core values
by Erik Hogstrom
Winning a reality show gave Ethan Zohn the impetus to do something constructive in real life.
Zohn told a Loras College audience of about 50 on Thursday that he won 2001’s “Survivor: Africa” reality competition because he made himself a crucial member of a community and remained true to his core values.
“Our values and ethical underpinnings help us master any challenges,” the 30-year-old New York resident said.
During the popular CBS show, Zohn’s approach paid off when fellow competitors refused to vote against him and he eventually won.
“‘Survivor’ was a stepping stone for me,” he said. “I’m psyched I won and sometimes I can’t believe I won, but the whole thing was just a game.”
After he won, Zohn took his million-dollar winnings and celebrity status and founded an AIDS education effort in Zimbabwe called “Grassroots Soccer.”
“Soccer is by far the most popular sport in Africa,” said Zohn, who played professionally in Zimbabwe before gaining wider fame on “Survivor.”
Soccer players, Zohn said, make the best educators because of their status.
“The players are heroes, they are the gods of the community,” Zohn said. “When they walk into a room and talk to kids, it is a life-changing experience.”
Zohn termed AIDS “a huge problem” and the group UNAIDS, comprising five United Nations agencies, the World Bank and the World Health Organization, estimates 34.3 million people in the world have AIDS - 24.5 million of them in sub-Saharan Africa.
“What can one person - one white person - do to help this massive problem in Africa?” Zohn asked.
Connie Sprimont, the social work case manager for the Dubuque Regional AIDS Coalition, listened to Zohn and knew one answer to his question.
“Just seeing a person of his stature, a person from a famous show, share his feelings, hopefully can spark a fire in some of the youth about what they can do,” Sprimont said.
Sprimont said little steps can help tackle the problem that seems overwhelming when considered as a whole.
Zohn’s African effort has educated 4,500 children in Zimbabwe, Ethiopia and Zambia.
He hopes to keep the AIDS fight alive at home, too.
“That is why I want to speak to college students,” Zohn said. “They are the ones who can take steps to change the world.”
Copyright 2004 Telegraph Herald