Thursday night's Chalk Talk For Charity was a success! The Aggies were tremendous and we all had a great time.
I know there were some (perhaps many) who wanted to come but just couldn't make it (holiday parties, school night, Thursday Night Football, etc.). You missed a great night but the good news is that since we did fall short of our fundraising goal there is still time to support us. We are determined to keep pushing until the end to raise whatever additional funds we can to feed these children and make their Christmas special and fulfilling. You can donate easily by clicking the button above.
Here is a recap of the evening:
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| Kylie with the Aggies |
We raised funds by selling soccer balls, reminder bands, school kits, and T-shirts that guests could sign and give to a specific child that Kylie meets in the villages. We will then take a picture of that child holding their gift in the village and send to the donor upon our return. Guests loved the idea of being able to see the tangible results of their gift
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| Items for sale to raise funds for Africa. Balls, T-Shirts, PeopleWater, School kits. |
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| Papa Rick preparing delicious Swedish pancakes for guests. |
The Aggies Soccer Team generously donated some gear that was auctioned off, including the best prize, an autographed NCAA ball used in the first round NCAA Tournament game against BYU. This raised additional funds for our effort.
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| The Silent Auction table. |
The highlight of the night was nearly an hour of back and forth questions and answers by the five Aggies players who willingly donated their time to share with the audience their thoughts and experiences in soccer and life. The ladies were fantastic and shared great stories about their soccer experiences including throwing up in a garbage can during a state cup game, whiffing a shot or two, nerves playing games, multiple yellow cards, a red card here and there, and the benefits of the PB&J sandwich to fuel themselves on game day. They also talked about the importance of academics as a student athlete.
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| The Aggies waiting for the next question of the fireside chat. |
They offered great advice to the younger players in the audience how to direct their own soccer career and what things they can do now to make a Division 1 school soccer team. They shared tips on how to fuel for a game, to be confident in themselves, to be coachable, and to not be shy about approaching colleges early and often they want to play for.
My wife, Wendy, I think beautifully summed up the audience's thoughts about these great ladies. She said: "I just want to thank you girls for being here and for sharing your thoughts tonight. I am really impressed. You are beautiful, articulate, good people. I am so happy that my daughter and the other soccer players here have you to look up to."
Totally agree and let me add my thanks to these tremendous women: Natalie Norris, Ashlyn Mulford, Lauren Roundy, Maris Hamblin, and Kendra Peemberton. Also, a big thanks to Coach Heather Cairns for her great support of the project and the evening.
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| Big smiles after the chalk talk. |
