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~ 40,645 Soccer Balls Distributed ~
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Kick For Nick has been collecting soccer balls and giving them to children for 8 years. It is still amazing to us the outpouring of love and good will that this project has created.
The 8th Annual PFC Nicholas A Madaras Memorial Day Soccer Challenge was another beautiful day that honored Nick and all the good work that has been done in his memory. We are also so pleased that ESPN has been re-airing the feature they made about Nick along with a more recent update.
As always, we thank you for your support and ask that you continue to share Nick's story and the Kick For Nick mission with others.
Many thanks,
Bill & Shalini Madaras
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Soccer Balls Distributed in Afghanistan
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from Capt Petersen Decker of the US Navy:
 We had been told about the Kick for Nick program upon our arrival in southern Afghanistan a few months ago and located a large box with signage inside which read, "Kick for Nick. These soccer balls were donated by the Citizens of Wilton, Connecticut".
As it was a cooler and rainier season at the end of last year, we began planning when and where to present them in 2014. That opportunity--visiting an elementary school of 800 children outside of Kandahar in southern Afghanistan--occurred earlier this week.
The [...]photos attest to the sheer disbelief and then delight of students like that young man. Marine Corps First Lieutenant Ruiz, also in both photos, ensured that every classroom we visited received a class soccer ball.
It was at that moment that we truly came to know the breadth and depth of this wonderful and magnanimous program as it promotes good health and joy and soccer. We honestly witnessed peace through athleticism among the young people of this region who, as you know, are at constant and high risk every day. The children at the school loved the 'Kick for Nick' soccer balls.
Please accept our heartfelt thanks and send on our sincere words of appreciation to your team. This week has made all the difference in the lives of hundreds of kids. They are now able to enjoy the bounty and blessing of Nick's legacy.
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A Letter from Lebanon....
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We have been passing out the soccer equipment to a lot of children here in Lebanon and have seen very good results in the change in attitude toward us and others. We would like to thank you for your donations. I know that our former teams have received the equipment and we are putting it to good use. [...] I recently donated the equipment from you to facilitate a soccer tournament that is going to take place here. Let me know if you have any questions and I will be happy to answer them. Take care and be safe.
SSG Trey Thompson USARMY, Lebanon
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Kick For Nick
on ESPNEWS'
"SportsCenter Featured"
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There will be one more showing of the feature about Kick For Nick to be shown on ESPN. There are 3 parts to the show and Nick's story is the first one.
Be sure to record or watch:
Saturday July 26 - 1PM ET
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Memorial Day
Soccer Challenge
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A beautiful day in remembrance of
our American Hero,
PFC Nicholas A Madaras.
Nick's teammates gathered from all over the world to play in his honor.
The video below was made by Joe Colombatto and is a great tribute to all those involved.
Shortly before the Memorial Day Challenge, the Kick For Nick Board recognized Andrew Allers, Dominic Bruni & Tom Thresher, Jr for their efforts in starting and supporting the tournament.  | | Andrew, Dominic, Tom (l-r) |
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Thank You Ken Dartley...
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 | Shalini, Marie, Chris, Ken, Bill (l-r)
Nick's sister, Marie, flew in from Colorado to attend the presentation and Chris, Nick's brother, who recently turned 18, was installed as a member of the Board of Directors for Kick For Nick. |
Ken Dartley, retiree, volunteer extraordinaire, Wilton citizen, Korean War Veteran, and the man behind the idea that became Kick For Nick. When Ken read about Nick in the local paper, he contacted the Madaras family to ask if he could collect balls in Nick's name and send them to Iraq in his memory. He thought it would be a good way to honor Nick and honor his desire to help the children he had seen while on duty. Ken thought they might collect a few balls, send them over and that would be the end of it. 8 years later, Ken's simple idea and his willingness to help and to reach out, have resulted in over 40,000 soccer balls being distributed to the children of Iraq, Afghanistan, Tanzania, Djibouti, Jordan, Yemen, Lebanon, the Philippines, India, Australia, Jamaica, Honduras and Ecuador. Nick's dream, memory and legacy live on in the laughter of children playing soccer all over the world. On behalf of Nick, the Madaras family and the children, thank you Ken.
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Thank you for your support and if you know of anyone who might be interested in receiving this newsletter, please forward it using the link below.
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