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.jpg "The Capital City Cobras of Michigan is one of the Power Soccer League’s newer teams, supported by IBOs with the help of the Fernando Foundation and the Network of Caring.")
The Capital City Cobras of Michigan is one of the Power Soccer League’s newer teams, supported by IBOs with the help of the Fernando Foundation and the Network of Caring.
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IBOs
build their businesses for many reasons and when they
realize success they share it, as
Network 21 does with
its global good-works effort,
Network of Caring.
Through it, IBOs around the world raise money, identify
needs, organize volunteers, and take action.
Network of Caring was founded by IBO leaders Jim and Nancy Dornan as
a way to help them become more effective givers. The Network 21
organization has donated $30 million over 13 years to
World Vision, the largest
child sponsorship charity in the world, making them World Vision’s
biggest corporate sponsor.
“What we have accomplished we have done so without really trying
hard,” says Jim Dornan, who
wondered, “What could we do if we really tried?” They began this
great effort by creating Network of Caring as a non-profit
charitable organization.
In
the U.S., one of the things Network 21 supports is
Power Soccer, a sports
league for athletes in power wheelchairs. Through their
Fernando Foundation,
this
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not-for-profit group organizes soccer teams nationally for
kids otherwise bound to power wheelchairs. It is their goal
to compete internationally.
David Dornan, Jim and Nancy’s son and an IBO, is an avid fan of
Power Soccer. David became involved while helping his brother Eric,
a power wheelchair athlete born with
spina bifida. Living in California where Power Soccer took off,
David volunteered during practices and games when he saw what a
great athletic outlet it was for Eric. “He did some things like
baseball, where he might run bases, but most sports are burdensome
for kids in power wheelchairs, because they have more severe
problems and they can’t play as easily.” But with a simple guard
attached to the foot stand of the wheelchair, kids in power
wheelchairs can move the ball around amazingly well.
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In
1999, when the Dornans still lived in California, there were 6 teams
in the whole nation, all in California. When the Dornans all moved
to Atlanta, they were amazed that there were no teams along the East
Coast. It became their mission to organize teams there, and today
there are eight teams in the west and 45 teams in the east and still
building.
“From New York to Miami, we visit clinics, camps, and hospitals and
demo the sport,” says IBO David Ruelas, Director of Operations for
Fernando Foundation. David
joins Eric for team practice and games and is a key league
proponent. The pair and other Fernando Foundation employees often
visit with kids in power wheelchairs, asking if they’re interested
in trying Power Soccer.
Eric
and David recently put on a Power Soccer demo during a trip to
Michigan for a Network 21 event. IBO Eric Rasche is one of the
drivers behind the single
team in Michigan,
centered in Lansing. Always an enterprising spirit, Eric Rasche
hopes to organize teams in Detroit and Grand Rapids. Eric has
devoted
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From left: “Mo” (Matthew Gerhardt) and “Full Throttle Gabe” (Gabe Myers) of the Capital City Cobras find an outlet for their passion for sports in Power Soccer.
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his
own resources, including his enthusiasm, time, and ability to
persuade those with the ability to coach.
Imagine having the freedom to move because of the power of a
motorized wheelchair, but what you really want is to play a sport
like every other kid. IBOs across North America and around the
world, with resources, time, and heart are helping to make dreams
come true through Network 21’s Network of Caring.
Thank you Jim and Nancy for making a difference!
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Capital City Cobras organizer Eric Rasche (center, standing) takes his
team to the national championships in Indianapolis.
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