On April 21, 2019, Darien High School then-junior Ellen Harnisch set up a table outside the school, hung her self-made signage, and asked her teammates and fellow students to donate new and lightly-used uniforms, balls, socks, jackets and more. With the support from the Darien Soccer Association and Darien High School soccer coaches Jon Bradley and Leigh Parsons, the response was tremendous. Ellen and her family organized the donated items into sizes and with Unite packed them into three barrels to be shipped with Amefricargo LLC from Connecticut to Tanzania. The barrels left the United States on a container ship in November 2018 and arrived in Dar Es Salaam and Arusha just last week. Thanks to Ellen (who will be attending and playing soccer for Emory University in the fall) and a handful of other donors, we have successfully delivered the following:
More than 35 deflated soccer balls, with pumps; 50 pairs of sports socks; dozens of pairs of sports sneakers; and more than 100 sports uniforms/jerseys to support the sports program at The Heaven School and for Future Stars Academy Football League in Arusha.
20 blankets to keep the children of St. Joseph’s Orphans Center and many of our Unite Scholars warm during the cold season.
More than 1,000 books—readers & novels—(all donated by Better World Books) for The Heaven School Library, The St. Joseph’s Orphans Center and to Dr. Raymond Mgeni’s School Book Club Reading Program.
