Kick For Nick 10th Anniversary Newsletter - April 2016

Kick For Nick 2006 -2016
Fulfilling Nick's wish & honoring his memory by bringing joy and hope to underprivileged children around the world through the gift of a simple soccer ball.
"I would walk to his room just to talk, he would be outside smoking his cigar. He'd see me coming and put his cigar down knowing that I couldn't stand the smell. I would tell him to go ahead and smoke his cigar, he would just smile and say,"No that's fine Sgt Colona. Talking to you is more important."
                                                   -Sgt. Nathan Colona  
Greetings! 

At the beginning and end of each newsletter is a quote or message we received about Nick. We want to share these with you to give a sense of who Nick was and what he meant to us, his friends and his fellow soldiers. The quote above is from Sgt. Nathan Colona and the one at the bottom is from Pfc Marjorie Whestone, both of whom served with Nick in Iraq. 

To continue the coverage of the 10 year anniversary of Kick For Nick, this issue of the newsletter will review the years of 2009-2011.

--Bill & Shalini Madaras
Sgt Sawyer's Platoon Distributing Balls
2009

Distribution of soccer balls continued in high gear in 2009. Here is an excerpt from a letter we received from Sgt Jordan Sawyer while he served in Iraq. 

"...For every mission I'd hand out 2-3 balls to each of the squads and let them decide what children received them. Usually they reserved them for well behaved children during a dismounted patrol or especially poor looking kids. This had its pros and cons. On the plus side, the kids flocked to us and enjoyed our presence more. Typically when kids are around, you're generally less likely to be attacked. On the down side, I couldn't get many pictures and WAY too many kids flocked to us. Iraqi kids are to soccer balls like cats are to catnip. They go WILD! We often times had to be careful with passing out the soccer balls else we'd literally be over run by kids." 
2010
Click image to watch video on Youtube

In May 2010 ABC-TV produced and aired brief 1-minute segments featuring 3 different service people including Nick.  
 
In addition, on Memorial Day 2010, the American Legion & the Military Channel jointly aired a series of 1-minute pieces about fallen heroes.  Ten heroes were featured and PFC Nick Madaras was one of them.  The segments aired 2-3 times each day for an entire year. 
2011

Working with ABRI/Homes for the Brave since 2007, The PFC Nicholas A. Madaras Home, transitional and supportive housing program opened its doors to their first female Veterans and their children on October 21, 2011, what would have been Nick's 25th birthday. 

The home located in Bridgeport Connecticut, accommodates 15 women, with 3 beds handicap compatible. Since it's opening over 70 women and 9 children have been served; providing them with resources and case management to ensure a productive return to civilian life.
by July 2011 - 34,878 soccer balls had been distributed 
"The one thing I will never forget about Madaras is his million-dollar smile. His light mood and laugh were contagious as well. He just always seemed to snap me out of it when I'd get pissed about dumn stuff. I know everyone feels the same."
                                                   -Pfc Marjorie Whetstone 
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