Soccer Cleats for Kayamandi

Rolling Hills Prep Alums Initiate Soccer Cleats Donation Program

[ClickPress, Wed May 09 2007] Rolling Hills Prep School alumnae Emma Gibbons and Lara Vancans have a great appreciation for the camaraderie and emotional rewards of athletic competition. Both girls played soccer for the school team while enrolled at Rolling Hills Prep. After graduating from high school, Emma from RHP and Lara from PV High, they embraced the idea of a gap year (time off between high school and college for an overseas experience).

The girls decided to take a trip to South Africa and ended up going to Kayamandi, a small community about 40 minutes outside of Cape Town. They arrived in Kayamandi in early February; originally with the intention of staying for 2 months, but were having such an amazing experience that they decided to extend their stay for another month. Kayamandi has a population of just over 20,000 and although there are some houses, the vast majority occupy shacks, living hand-to-mouth each day.

“The second day we were there, our 16-year-old house-sister, Thuli, walked into our room and asked us if we wanted to play soccer for the Mighty Five Stars girls' team. We said sure, laughing, and the next afternoon she walked in again and told us practice would start in 30 minutes!” stated Emma.

The friendship and bonds of competition were a great way to bridge the cultural and language barriers. But one thing became obvious. The girls from Kayamandi did not have the proper equipment. That’s when Lara and Emma came up with the notion of collecting cleats. “At home, almost all the girls play soccer from a young age, so we knew that a lot of people would have outgrown cleats lying around the house. We contacted our high schools to try to get some support,” stated Emma. Playing soccer ended up becoming what they became most attached to in Kayamandi.

“It's more than cleats. It's even more than soccer. If the girls feel self-worth on the soccer field then they'll feel it at home, at school, and in life in general. They deserve every encouragement and every opportunity,” stated Lara.
The idea of working with the children of Kayamandi was ignited 5 years ago when Lara traveled to South Africa with her family and was fortunate enough to have a guide show them around the township. A tour of Kayamandi opened her eyes to shocking conditions merged with positive, optimistic people. Although she was only 12 at the time, she knew she had to go back. “It sounds cheesy, but in the couple of hours we spent there 5 years ago, I felt the community gave me so much and I wanted to give them something in return,” stated Lara.

Just a couple of weeks ago, their last night in Kayamandi held special meaning for the girls: “We were told to meet at the clubhouse (an ex-player's house) at 7:30 for a surprise. When we arrived, our entire team was there, along with our coaches and all the management! They gave us cool drink (soda) and cooked us an indoor braai (bbq) as it was raining. We were presented with blue Mighty Five Star jackets, speeches from the management, and handwritten cards from all the team, wishing us farewell and safe travels. Their generosity and genuine words were incredible,” stated Emma. “We stayed until after midnight (even though we were being picked up at 4am for our early flight and hadn't yet packed!), singing and dancing to the traditional African songs that they all knew.“
“The kids in Kayamandi ... are just kids. And that's all there is to it,” stated Lara. They may be less fortunate in the financial/social situation but they are loved and for the most part they are happy. I have two younger siblings and I saw them in nearly every child in Kayamandi.”

Soccer cleat donations will be collected at Rolling Hills Prep School on Palos Verdes Drive North and sent to Kayamandi. Contact RHP Head of School Peter McCormack at (310) 791-1101 x107 for more details. Rolling Hills Prep School enrolls students in grades 6-12. The school’s mission is to develop in its college bound students disciplined minds, sound character, healthy bodies and creative spirits.



About Rolling Hills Preparatory School
Rolling Hills Preparatory School is a 25-year old, independent community school serving grade 6-12 students from 21 South Bay cities ranging from El Segundo to Long Beach. RHP is appropriately called a “community school” as it serves the broader educational interests of the South Bay as a community-based institution serving a broad array of educational constituents. RHP is a traditional college preparatory school whose mission for its college bound students is to develop disciplined minds, sound character, healthy bodies, and creative spirits. RHP is home to the Road to Excellence program which provides a variety of support services to intellectually capable, college bound students with specific, language-based learning differences. Ninety-nine percent of RHP students matriculate to student-appropriate colleges that include the nation’s finest public and private universities, local community colleges, special-focus engineering and arts colleges, and an array of state universities.

While offering a rigorous college prep curriculum, the school employs the latest proven innovative teaching models and learning styles to maximize the performance of individual students. The school encourages collaboration with other programs and non-profits to motivate and provide experiential learning to students. Arts collaborations, robotics, community service projects, and the outdoor education component of the curriculum are examples of RHP’s focus on encouraging its students to be high performers.

RHP relocated to its new campus in San Pedro in February of 2007. The new campus is one of the first privately-held, fully-sustainable, “green” campuses in the Western United States.

RHPS has its accreditation through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS). In addition RHPS is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS).

For more information contact Ileana International:

Mike Mena
310 683-6327
mike@ileanainternational.com

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