NORTHWOOD School’s first soccer team recently swapped their Saturday morning on the soccer field for paintbrushes and rollers at The Domino Foundation’s Babies’ Home as part of a general upgrade effort of the facility.
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The squad’s initiative was the physical labour part of its Goals for Lives campaign to raise money for the home, through every goal scored this season, and comes under the umbrella of Sports for Lives, an organisation that provides a platform to generate funds and support for worthy causes through sport.
“Sport can be so much more than just ‘team vs team’ and ‘wins vs losses’. It truly can be a vehicle for change. Getting involved with Sports for Lives gives us the opportunity to teach our boys valuable life lessons,” said Mini Khoza, Northwood’s director of football.
Summing up the school’s goals for the Goals for Lives campaign, Khoza said everything happening in the school, sport included, is about education.
“We want our boys to see the value in altruism, selflessness and all-round generosity. A world filled with young people who embody these characteristics will surely be a better one moving forward,” he said.
The aspiring PSL players not only gave all the playground equipment a bright lick of paint but weeded and cultivated the home’s gardens and then spent time making the acquaintance of the home’s small residents.
Team member Isaac Adeboye added dexterity with a paintbrush to his other accomplishments of being RCL (Representative Council of Learners) chairman, school prefect and Northwood’s War Cry leader.
“It is an honour to give back to our community. We hope that our help and the fundraising campaign will make a difference in the lives of the children at the Domino Babies’ Home,” he said.
Organiser of the paint day, Domino’s Hope ambassador Nadia Aboud, was delighted with the squad’s whole-hearted commitment to the task they had set themselves.
“Volunteers are the lifeblood of so much of what we do, and these young men were exemplary in their enthusiasm and work ethic,” said Aboud.
She can be contacted at hope@domino.org.za about more volunteer opportunities, and contact Mini at mkhoza@nwood.co.za for information on the Goals For Lives initiative.
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