Saluki Athletics donate jerseys to Kenyan schools
06/28/2011 | 12:00:00 | General
June 28, 2011
By Jason Clay
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois University athletic department recently donated jerseys to three schools in Naro Moru, Kenya for use in their soccer games.
SIU Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs/Dean of Students Peter Gitau, who is from Kenya, runs a non-profit organization called Teach My Kenyan Children and they fundraise and help build facilities for schools in Naro Moru. Every year Gitau and SIU Student Health Center Director, Ted Grace, MD, bring over a group of college students for a service-learning project to help apply the funds to improve the facilities at the schools.
Gitau asked the children what they needed and they said they would love to have some sports jerseys. He then made a call to SIU Athletic Director Mario Moccia asking if there were any jerseys that could be donated.
"The next thing we know we had two large duffle bags full of jerseys," said Grace. "The students just loved the jerseys."
Grace says that the children wear green and blue uniforms to school everyday, which the children get tired of.
"It really went a long way," Grace said. "They don't really have TV sets, but they know what the athletic jerseys are and they just got a kick out of something that bright and that colorful. It gave them a moral boost to be able to wear these jerseys."
The jerseys donated by Saluki Athletics will be used in their conference soccer games between the schools.
The service-learning group that Gitau and Grace led this year was a group of 11 and it featured several Southern Illinois students. Together, they helped finish a library that had been started by another group.
While talking at the schools, Gitau and Grace explained to the students what the jerseys are used for and what a Saluki is.
