On March 20th, 2010, I will be running the DC National Half Marathon to raise funds for PeacePlayers International-South Africa to help contribute to their programs in the townships and rural areas of Durban, South Africa. Any amount will help!  

PeacePlayers International (PPI) is a nonprofit organization that uses basketball to educate and unite children and their communities. PPI has sites in South Africa, Northern Ireland, Middle East, Cyprus, and New Orleans.

In the Fall of 2008, I was fortunate enough to work with PeacePlayers International in Durban, South Africa. I experienced first-hand the profound impact PPI has on its staff, children, families, and communities. Nonetheless, the framework of this organization is shaped by some of the most generous and kind people who opened their homes and their hearts to me, who shared their children and their families with me, and (my favorite) who I cooked and ate traditional meals with over endless storytelling and laughter-- all after lots of lifeskill lessons and basketball. The children, the families, and the communities of PeacePlayers International-South Africa have a brilliance that cannot be taught and to this end I owe them many thanks for sharing in, what I count as, my most rewarding experience.  

I hope we can all find a way to help support the programs of PeacePlayers International-South Africa (PPI-SA) because in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, a province challenged by many social issues, PeacePlayers is a safe haven for the kids of its program. It is during the hours with PPI where children are free to run and play safely while also discussing openly the social issues which surrounds them. PPI-SA has a unique lifeskills curriculum that helps prepare its children to make good decisions where issues from HIV/AIDS and gender inequality to peer pressure and drug/alcohol abuse are addressed. Despite what kids may face in the townships and rural areas of Durban, in a culture so resilient, there are lots of supportive high-fives and hugs, all of which I am a BIG fan of!  

Many thanks and high-fives and hugs for your support. Please don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to get involved too!

Donating through this website is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to support my fundraising efforts.

Examples of where your donation may contribute to with PeacePlayers work in South Africa:

• building a new court in one of PeacePlayers townships
• transporting a rural team to travel and play in city areas for the first time
• paying for facilities and accomodations to host workshops for young South Africans to become basketball coaches and help lead life skills discussions