This past season the Blue Springs High School Wildcats football team finished the year with a 9-3 record and as conference champions and Class 6 district champions. But it is their championship impact off the field that is making headlines throughout their communities. For the past three years players and coaches have gone to a local soup kitchen that serves the homeless community in Kansas City and helped raise the hopes of many struggling families. These annual life changing experiences have led coaches and players to discuss ways they can expand on their community efforts, and in doing so found a willing and motivated partner. The Child Reach Ministries is a community organization dedicated to providing hope to children living in desperate conditions on the margins of society. Child Reach is leading the way on the construction of Hannah's Hope orphanage in the town of Chilca, Peru (about an hour south of Lima) with its mission aimed toward finding homes for over 600,000 abandoned children. A year ago, the BSHS coaches and senior football players joined the cause and made the trip to Peru to help break ground and begin the process of building an orphanage, and the hopes of all the children there.
This year 13 Wildcat seniors will take the impactful trip to Peru which is scheduled for June 18th-26th accompanied by defensive backs coach Matt Marble. Seniors Kyle Brown, Deoindre Hall, Cole Jones, Marcus Brown, David Johnson, Tyler Ray, Chris White, Chance Walker, Kendall Sullivan, Corey Majors, Bret Myers, Shelby Foster and Jacob Clark look to continue the work started by their teammates. Joining Coach Marble on the leadership committee are Wendall Fuimaono (Assistant Principal at BSHS-former football coach), Brett Shamblin (former Pittsburg State football player), Marcus DeBoer (Kuyper University student and middle school basketball coach). The orphanage is expected to house anywhere between 48-60 children at one time, with a nursery to meet the needs of babies. With over 600,000 children still in need of food and homes, the work is still far from finished. The Child Reach ministries and the Blue Springs High School football family are well aware of the work that still lie ahead, and look to continue their partnership for years to come.
The amazing story does not end there. When the senior football players have time to spare, they spend it playing soccer and other fun filled games with the very children they are building the orphanage for. The coaches and players also document their daily activities and experiences in personal blogs they share with students, classmates and family back home. It is an awareness and life lesson they all share, that is filled with a selflessness that goes beyond any touchdown, any win on the field or any championship at the end of a long season. It is the gift of giving that bonds these young men and the fine leaders and coaches who help and act alongside them. The Blue Springs High School football program is setting the example for all to follow, and the children of Peru are undoubtedly grateful for their efforts.
By Ephraim Vega
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