Zohn returns to home to raise money for AIDS
From The Lexington Minuteman
By Eric Athas / Correspondent
Thursday, May 20, 2004
The curly-haired professional soccer player-turned-celebrity - Ethan Zohn - was back at his childhood home last weekend raising money for his AIDS education organization Grassroot Soccer.
The first annual “Lexington Grassroot Soccer” fund-raiser was held last Saturday at the Lexington home of Rochelle Zohn, the mother of “Survivor: Africa” winner Ethan Zohn, a Lexington High School alumni, who has since been an integral part of a 1-year-old AIDS prevention program called: Grassroot Soccer. The group is a nonprofit organization that uses the popularity of soccer in Africa as a tool to teach young people about AIDS.
They visit schools in Africa as part of a four-day curriculum. With an hour and a half each day, professional soccer players teach the children basic facts about AIDS, followed by games and activities, which lead into information on decision making and AIDS prevention. Seventy percent of all AIDS cases in the world are in Africa, and since the professional soccer players are the heroes among Africans, Grassroot Soccer uses them as an example.
“We want to get the kids knowing that they can prevent this disease,” said Kirk Friedrich, managing director of the program. “Our goal is to get to every country in Africa using soccer.”
Friedrich said the statistics about the disease can be overwhelming, such as that in an American hospital, a doctor might have 10-15 AIDS patients a day, whereas in an African hospital, a doctor would have more than 100.
Among those who attended the fund-raiser were board members, advisors, family members and friends of the Grassroot team, including Jenna Morasca, “Survivor: The Amazon” winner and girlfriend of Zohn. Those behind the organization - Zohn, Friedrich and Dr. Thomas Clark - were all professional soccer players at one point.
Originally from Scotland, Clark is the chief executive officer of Grassroot and came up with the original idea.
“We use what is in the culture to teach these children. Soccer is popular in their culture,” said Clark. “In our culture, someone like Michael Jordan can sell products because he is popular. In Africa, soccer players in Africa are idolized. It is like we are selling a product to them. Our product is AIDS prevention.”
Zohn and Friedrich both agree that it was the first hand account of AIDS in Africa that inspired them to become proactive. When on the professional soccer team the Highlanders a few years ago, Zohn traveled to Zimbabwe with Friedrich and witnessed the problem up close. When returning to Africa for “Survivor,” Zohn remembers playing hacky-sack with some Kenyan children. He later found out that those children were all AIDS orphans.
“It really hit home at that point. I realized that I wanted to do something to help,” said Zohn. “When I returned home after Survivor, Tommy Clark came up with this great idea for Grassroot and within several months, this organization was in motion.”
The fund-raiser last Saturday was put in place to keep Grassroot Soccer in motion. Spread throughout the Zohn household during the fund-raiser was various artwork for people to purchase which included sculptures and paintings acquired by Zohn and Friedrich while they were in Zimbabwe. Some of the pieces were donated by native families in Zimbabwe to Grassroots Soccer.
Dr. William Wiese, president of Grassroot Soccer talked during an informational presentation at the fund-raiser.
“HIV and AIDS is a disaster and a devastating disease. Without a vaccine, what do we have? Prevention right now is the best way to lower this problem,” said Wiese, who became emotional when making it clear that, without more money, this Grassroot Soccer cannot keep doing what it is doing. “We have been so small that we haven’t had a budget. We have people working hours every week without a salary, and we are desperately in need of money.”
With more money, said Wiese, it could keep moving at the strong pace it has been, teaching 200 students every two weeks.
Since donations are their largest revenue right now, Grassroot Soccer’s main goal is to raise more money. In the past, some of their leading donations have come from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Hummel America.
“We are developing some new ideas holding some national fund-raisers, but right now we just need donations,” said Zohn.