St. John students will enjoy football toss, soccer kick, 50-yard dash and more activities at the 4th Annual Just Play Day on October 8 in Cruz Bay.
After watching several students kick a deflated soccer ball around a Cruz Bay park several years ago, St. John visitor Dean Doeling went home to Oregon determined to improve access to sports equipment on his favorite island.
As a senior production artist at Nike, Doeling was in the perfect position to actually make a difference, and he set about to do just that; creating the non-profit organization Using Sport for Social Change.
This year USFSC, which aims to “focus Virgin Island youth through sports and fitness, giving them the confidence they need to set personal goals, achieve their aspirations and create opportunity for themselves, their family and their community,” celebrates four years of bringing sports opportunities and equipment to St. John youth.
This Monday, October 8, Doeling will host the Fourth Annual Just Play Day at Winston Wells ball field in Cruz Bay, where more than 100 local kids will enjoy a day of sports and fun; and take home medals, T-shirts, water bottles as well as sports equipment.
St. John students between five and 17-years-old will gather at the Winston Wells ball field by 8:30 a.m. on October 8 and be ready to hear St. John Festival Queen Shanell Thomas sing the Virgin Islands March and the National Anthem.
In the morning students will take part in a soccer kick, 50-yard dash, football throw, basketball shooting and soccer relay. Volunteers and kids are in for a treat this year as Mathayom Private Chefs/St. John Catering will be providing a free lunch once again.
After the lunch break, kids will get the chance to return to their favorite activity or try their hand at tennis skills, led by Caneel Bay Resort tennis instructor Donald Becker, or volleyball, led by V.I. National Women’s Volleyball team member and coach Janelle Sarauw.
This year’s guest speaker is University of the Virgin Islands Athletic Director Sean Georges, explained Doeling.
“Sean grew up on St. Thomas and attended the university himself,” said Doeling. “He excelled at his studies and became an assistant coach there and now he’s the athletic director. It will be great for the kids to hear how important it is to do well in school and go to college.”
At the end of the day, first place finishers in each age group will be awarded trophies while second and third place finishers will take home medals. All participants will be given T-shirts, reusable water bottles and sports packs filled with exciting Nike products, explained Doeling.
DJ Adonis will be providing music this year and Brenda Wallace will once again be emcee of the event. It’s still not too late to volunteer or register students for Just Play Day. Check out www.usingsportforsocialchange.com for more information.
“We’re a bit ahead of schedule this year as far as volunteers, but we do still need more,” said Doeling. “We are also asking parents to sign their kids up as soon as possible.”
The day-long Just Play Day is the signature event for USFSC, which has donated more than 1,000 basketballs, footballs and soccer balls to local schools and the Department of Housing, Parks and Recreation over the past four years.
While in the territory for the Just Play Day event, Doeling is also making stops at Ivanna Eudora Kean High School, where he’ll donate 100 pairs of Nike cross country shoes to the school’s cross country team.
“I got a call one day here at Nike and they said they have these cross country shoes left over from a sale and asked if I wanted them,” said Doeling. “I jumped at the chance and had been storing them in my garage. But they are on island now and on Thursday, October 4, we’ll be donating them to IEKHS.”
“I hope this will help boost the team and give them a competitive edge and hopefully get them headed in the right direction,” said the USFSC founder.
Then on Friday, October 5, Doeling will stop by Guy Benjamin School in Coral Bay, where he’ll hand out free backpacks full of school supplies to each of the 120 students.
“I got together with the Global Backpack Organization and was able to get enough this year to cover the entire school at GBS,” said Doeling. “We’ll be out there on Friday, October 5, to give a little presentation and hand out the packs, which are full of pencils and pens and sharpeners and erasers and notepads.”
On Sunday, October 7, the owners of the catamaran Kekoa will be hosting a sunset sail fundraiser for USFSC, which will feature food and drinks by Mathayom Private Chefs, as well as exciting raffles and special guests, Doeling explained.
Guests aboard Kekoa will have the chance to chat with Sean Georges, former three-time world boxing champion Julian Jackson, his sons Julius and John Jackson and his nephew Samuel Rogers.
The boat sets sail at 5 p.m. and raffle tickets — only $2 each or three for $5 for the chance to win a Ranifly bikini and a $50 gift certificate at The Tap Room — are available at High Tide, St. John Community Foundation Office, The Tap Room and the Kekoa office.
Tickets for the sunset sail are $100, which includes one free raffle ticket.
Looking back over the past four years, even Doeling is impressed with how much USFSC has accomplished, he explained.
“It’s absolutely amazing to see how this has come to fruition,” said Doeling. “I have always enjoyed amazing local support down there and it seems like it is just getting easier for people to support us, by either donating money or products or making it cheaper for me to stay there.”
This year’s Just Play Day main sponsors are High Tide, Mathayom Private Chefs, Windspree Vacation Homes and Kekoa; yet Doeling enjoys support from many businesses and residents, he added.
“Ronnie’s Pizza is always great helping us with the prize packing party and we couldn’t do any of this without our volunteers,” said Doeling.
While Doeling works tirelessly to ensure the continued success of USFSC, knowing that no child on St. John will be forced to play with a deflated soccer ball makes it all worthwhile, he explained.
“What makes it all worth it is when I arrive on island and see kids in the schools and in the parks playing with Nike balls and I know I am the one who put that together,” said the USFSC founder. “I know these kids are out playing sports instead of doing other things. It makes me really happy to know that I was able to touch their lives in some way.”
“It all goes back to that one flat soccer ball and knowing kids now have good sports equipment,” said Doeling.
For more information about USFCS, check out www.usingsportforsocialchange.com.
