ddoeling

I am a huge fan of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. I have been there four times and I am headed back next May.

I have witnessed first hand, and have also heard that the schools of St. John are in need of some help because the local government overlooks them.

The last time I was in St. John (a year and a half ago), I noticed that the kids were outside playing with a (one) flat soccer ball. I also noticed that the basketball hoops did not have nets on them, and some were not even useable. Maybe they didn’t even have basketballs to play with. Anyway, it put an idea into my head that since I work at Nike, I could use Nike as a resource to help the kids achieve some athletic goals, thereby giving them courage and enough confidence to achieve other lifetime goals.

“Using Sports for Social Change” is my main idea.

I realize that I can not do this myself and I need help from others in order to really make this happen. I have just started to lay the ground work and have spoken with a few people within Nike, and have made a list of several others with whom I would like to speak with inside and outside of Nike. I would like to add you to my list.

Would you be willing to help me with this project in some capacity? I would like the chance to be able to correspond with you and get your ideas on how you think I could make the biggest positive impact with these kids. This will of course include the public and private schools of St. John, and hopefully, later, extend to the other Caribbean islands. I just need to start somewhere.

This is a long term goal of mine which I have placed in writing on my CFE. A CFE is a road map that measures my individual output, keeping me inline with my work goals and personal goals. This is going to be at least a 3-5 year work plan. My intention is to develop and assist with sports and fitness programs within local schools and the community. This plan will involve local schools, businesses, charitable organizations, Nike vendors and of course, Nike.

Please let me know to what capacity, if any, you would be willing to help with. If you feel that there is someone else I should contact, please email me that information as well, or have them get in touch with me

Thank you very much for your time everyone.

Sincerely,

Dean Doeling

St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The first time I visited the island, I was drawn to it and it's beauty. Something magical happened to me that I can't fully describe. Call it a "spiritual awakening".

Since my first visit there, almost 16 years ago, I have read many books about St. John. Which lead me to read books about the history of the islands and learn about it's culture.

Every time I go back, I feel a longing to stay. Maybe someday I will miss the ferry to St. Thomas and it's airport for good. But in the meantime, I want to use the resources that I have to do something positive for the children and youth of St. John. I want them to be able to experience their growth and potential through sport.

Focus Virgin Island youth through sports and fitness, giving them the confidence they need to set personal goals, achieve their aspirations and create opportunity for themselves, their family and their community.

This is a new venture for me, but over the past month I have received some very heartfelt responses about my “Sport For Social Change” proposal, from many “St. Johnians” such as parents of the children, school faculty, mentors of the kids, their friends, their family members and St. John business owners.

What I am finding out, is that there is an overwhelming need and desire to help these kids (going to one of the three schools on St. John) with their sports and fitness needs. Their needs are the same as our kids here stateside. In fact, they are U.S. Kids!

The “help” I am referring to as a short term goal, is getting these kids and their schools some much needed sports equipment. I am talking about the basics here: Soccer balls, basketballs, some nets for their hoops, footballs, sports bags, track singlets, bats, baseballs, gloves, tennis rackets, tennis balls, cheer attire, swimming attire... just as a start.

Here is one of the responses I received from a wonderful woman- by the name of Beth, who is a 13 year resident of St. John, and has two children of her own going to school there:

•What sports and recreation programs are currently offered?

“Gifft Hill School has made some strides in the past year in increasing our athletic offerings--we will have a flag football, basketball, swim, sailing, volleyball, cheerleading squad, surfing, and tennis team this year. Our flag football season is underway and the team is 3-1 (which is quite a feat considering the size of our school compared to who they are playing), but they don’t have jerseys or cleats or team bags or anything that your typical school team would consider standard equipment. The Rec department is offering baseball right now, and also offers basketball.

American Legion runs a flag football league just for St. John. That league is separate from the school league and for boys and girls 8-13. The coaches are volunteers from the community.”

•Who runs the athletic programs?

“Mostly community volunteers.”

•What needs are not being met regarding sports in the schools?

“There is no money for equipment, facility maintenance, etc. As we have no representation in the Vi government, St. John receives very little funding for our public facilities. Our school offers aid to 55% of our students to ensure that the demographic of GHS reflects that of the community, but the amount of aid that we provide seriously limits any discretionary funds that we might- otherwise have.”

•What athletic equipment needs- are there?

“We are lacking everything, basically. But, we are sort of used to making do with little so the kids still manage to play sports and have a blast with old and broken equipment or whatever they can find!”

•Other concerns?

“My concern as a 13 year resident of the VI and a parent of two kids here is that our island is becoming more and more fractured. The houses are getting fancier in the “Snowbird” neighborhoods, but the schools and recreation facilities for the children of this island are falling apart. We are trying to build our community from within again, and one easy way to do this is to have kids play sports together, even if they attend different schools. Becoming teammates makes them friends. My children are 5 and 9 and have lived here their entire lives. They do not see race or money, they see people. They are much more evolved human beings as children than most adults I grew up with in Georgia, mostly because they have grown up playing with kids from other backgrounds and realize that we are all more alike than we are different. That is why I work to raise money for GHS because I believe all St. John children deserve access to quality education and athletics, regardless of their families’ economic situation....

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This is just one response out of several, but the tone of every response has been the same: “Please see our kids, hear them, let them know they matter!”

It is my desire to help Focus Virgin Island youth through sports and fitness, giving them the confidence they need to set personal goals, achieve their aspirations and create opportunity for themselves, their family and their community.

I appreciate all of you and your desire to help. Please keep this idea alive by sending me suggestions and/or ways that you think that you can help. Please also tell other people about my goal to help these kids and ask them to email me with their suggestions and ideas.

As a short term goal and a show of good will, I would like to get the 3 schools of St. John some equipment immediately. As a longer term, sustainable goal, I will continue to work with these wonderful people to see what sort of programs they have that Nike might be able to enhance, as well as what Nike can do in the future to help the kids, the schools and their community.