TESTIMONIALS

 At the Foundation, it is believed that most often we find ourselves inspired by a story we hear, an article we read, or an act of leadership that we’re fortunate enough to witness. In hopes of continuing the cycle of giving back and passing it on, the Foundation celebrates its former scholarship recipients and the leadership projects they’ve chosen to pursue.

Using their week at the Julie Foudy & espnW Sports Leadership Academy as a catalyst for their efforts, these girls and young women have initiated change through action. Each leadership project is unique in form, but they all share the same fundamental purpose of empowering others by example. We are so proud of these girls and young women, and their decision to CHOOSE TO MATTER!!! Their willingness to make a difference will undoubtedly inspire others to do so as well.

  • I live in Chicago, and I know that the winters are very cold so I wanted to get as many winter clothes for families and homeless people in my area. After going to the JFSLA, I knew that this is what I wanted to do for my service learning project. At my school I talked to the service learning coordinator at my school about my drive. She told me there was a high schooler who was going to do a similar project, so we worked together. We did research on organizations to donate to and decided on Refugee One-an organization that helps refugees who have escaped hard lives to start over and build better ones. I made flyers and were put up all over the school letting people know about the winter clothes drive we were doing. After the drive was over, there had been hundreds and hundreds of donations of all different types of winter clothes! It felt amazing to know that I was having, no matter how small or big, an impact on so many people!

  • Quinn attended the Menlo Park session last summer. In December she did her service project. She put on an art show. She solicited art donations from family and friend artists, and got the food and event space donated. The silent auction art show raised $2,998! She wants to donate the funds to the Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academy for a scholarship fund for girls whose families cannot afford to send them to camp. Where do I send the check and who do I make it out to? Also, with Julie’s permission, Quinn would like to call the fund “Where Magic Happens.” This is based on one of Julie’s quotes that Quinn really liked: ”magic happens outside the comfort zone.”…

    I also wanted to let you know that Quinn’s project inspired me to “choose to matter.” On February 1st I participated in my first Cycle for Survival in memory of one of my son’s former soccer teammates who died of brain cancer in August. 100% of the funds raised through Cycle go to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York for rare cancer research and clinical trials. Brain cancer and all pediatric cancers are considered rare. Since my son’s soccer teammate would have turned 10 this month had he survived, my goal was to raise $10,000. I surpassed my goal!

    Thank you to Julie and her camp for inspiring our family to make a difference. It has been very rewarding.

    Ciao, Carol S. (Quinn’s mom)

  • Last New Year’s I took a vacation to Oaxaca, Mexico with my family. While I was there, I was really struck by all of the little kids in the streets who were very, very poor and alone. When I got home from Oaxaca I sort of tinkered with the idea of helping out the Oaxaca street children, but I didn’t know how.

    However after I went to the Julie Foudy soccer and leadership camp and they talked about serving the community, I knew exactly what I was going to do. I wanted to help the kids in Oaxaca. After I left camp I talked to my parents and I started researching different organizations, but I didn’t know which was the best one. So my mom talked to a friend who used to live in Oaxaca. It turned out she had a friend there who told us about Casa Hogar Hijos de La Luna. It’s an organization that takes care of kids with parents who can’t take care of them. It seemed perfect.

  • We wish to express our sincere appreciation for the generous support of the Julie Foudy Leadership Foundation, in supporting our Poet-Athletes with scholarships to the Academy’s summer camp annually. Your continued commitment has touched the lives of many of our young female athletes, as they acquire not only soccer tutelage from your camp staff, but help in becoming all around good citizens, through leadership and service learning.

    America SCORES fosters and promotes leadership, commitment, and teamwork through soccer and poetry, for more than 560 urban school students throughout the City. Your contribution will help us maintain our quality programming, and expand within the Chicago Public Schools.

  • Dear JFSLA Staff:

    I know I am sending this mid-camp week and things are probably hectic and you are running around. But I was wondering, when you had a chance, if you could pass this along to Julie and the rest of the staff.

    My name is Mary Morrisey and I attended JFSLA for the past two years at Peddie. Recently my team won the CT State cup and we are headed to Regionals in RI tomorrow. This is very exciting, but I am not able to be at Peddie for my last year of camp which makes the whole experience very bitter sweet.