My name is Gideon Metrikin, I am 12 years old, and I play on a soccer team called MSC Barcelona and I love the game very much. My soccer coach, Wilson Egidio, is a very nice Brazilian man who took our team to the poorest parts of Brazil, where we played games against the children there. Most of the children have broken soccer cleats that are too small so my coach started a project called the Favela Project.

The Favela Project is a project where children from many different teams give their old cleats, shirts, socks, and other soccer gear to the kids in the Favelas. I enjoyed the experience of playing a game against the children in the Favelas and now I realize that there are children who love soccer as much as I do but they don’t have the opportunity to play it as easily as I do. When I found out about how the children in Haiti were suffering from the earthquake, I really wanted to help. I would be devastated if my soccer field was taken from me.

At home I have an older brother who also plays and loves soccer. My Dad taught both of us how to play when we were little kids. In a normal week, I have the opportunity to play soccer 4 times if not more for more than an hour each time. My goal is to help give the Haiti children the same opportunity that I have.
Please let the children know that there are lots of people who are sad about the earthquake and to keep up their love of soccer.

If you want to support me in helping LADH by sponsoring a mile on my run this weekend, please contact me at: gidmet (at ) gmail.com. Thank yo