Jared Lange wasn’t among the throngs of people at the mall in the weeks before Christmas.
He was busy planning a trip to Jamaica and it wasn’t a Christmas vacation.
The Winnipeg resident, whose uncle is an Airdrie soccer coach, travelled to the community of Runaway Bay, Jamaica, between Dec. 8 and 22 to deliver six suitcases worth of soccer jerseys and shorts donated by the Airdrie Soccer Association.
“A child there receiving a set of matching soccer shorts and jerseys is comparable to a 12-year-old here getting an iPad or the latest Playstation for Christmas,” Lange said.
“They wear their new outfit to church, school and just for walking around. They just love it. So each and every soccer jersey and (pair of) shorts I took down and gave out was a huge deal. Huge thank you to the Airdrie Soccer Association and all the jerseys and shorts they donated out of the kindness of their hearts.”
Lange took one suitcase of items to Jamaica in November and carried two more on his trip, Dec. 8. His father, mother and sister carried the remaining four bags, weighing 50 pounds each, when they met up on Dec. 15.
The family then planned a tournament and fun day with a local resource centre worker, where they also gave away 280 backpacks stuffed with school supplies and Christmas toys, which were shipped down from Winnipeg.
“The jerseys that were provided so graciously by the Airdrie Soccer Association were used to make sure that teams were able to be matching and everyone who wanted to was able to play,” Lange said.
“We are now in the process of seeing what the next project will be. We are looking into collecting and shipping soccer shoes, socks, balls etc. Soccer is such a huge part of their life and keeps all the youth and children out of the streets and out of trouble. It’s a sport young or old, rich or poor can come together and play.”
