Ballard student helping kids in Uganda

Ballard High School Senior Scott Mills is helping kids half way around the world. Mills has recently started collecting soccer gear for children in Uganda.

“I saw a slide show of some Ugandan children playing with soccer balls of plastic bags tied together with bits of string and that struck my heart as being wrong,” Mills says. “I love soccer and I want to help other experience the joy of playing soccer.”

Mills is working through the local nonprofit, Sister Schools. From their website:

Sister Schools is about showing ordinary kids (teachers and communities) that they can have an extraordinary impact on the world around them.

We do this by partnering schools in the Seattle area with schools in developing countries in a very personal and concrete way, with powerful, individual feedback for our kids. This gives kids an appreciation of the opportunities available to them that most children in the world only dream about. Participation also gives them a real sense of accomplishment and the understanding that they have the ability to make a difference – to fix things that are wrong! The end result is that they become better members of their communities here at home.

Ordinary people giving in an ordinary, regular way, can make extraordinary things happen!

Mills tells us the shipment to Uganda is this spring, although he doesn’t have a specific date. He is looking for jerseys and new or used soccer balls, as long as they aren’t too worn. A ten-dollar donation will purchase and ship one soccer ball. You can contact Mills through the Ballard Athletics website.