AUSTIN, Texas, April 20, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 14-year NFL veteran Jay Feely and the Feely Family Foundation are partnering with Mission of Hope, Haiti (MOH) to champion a new sports complex in Haiti that will provide sports training programs for Haitian children.
Feely is fostering partnerships with NFL owners and players to help secure funding for the multi-million dollar complex, which is set up to serve youth from 10-22 with sports training programs and youth leagues. On a recent trip this month to MOH, Feely and Chase Blackburn, linebacker for the Carolina Panthers, helped complete homes in Leveque for Haitians still living in tents since the earthquake and spent time packaging meals and distributing them to orphanages in MOH's nutrition program. During the visit, Feely also shared the vision for how a sports facility will positively impact young men and women who are in need of opportunities to gain mentoring, grow in discipline, and mature as the next generation of leaders.
"I'm very excited about spearheading this initiative with MOH, and have personally engaged with my family over the last several years in the transforming work going on in Haiti," says Feely. "I believe that this initiative and my effort to engage athletes and owners from the NFL to invest in Haiti's youth can have a significant impact on Haiti's next generation."
The sports complex will include a public park and training facility equipped for soccer, basketball, volleyball, track and sports training programs for kids and adolescents. MOH President Brad Johnson says the complex is about more than just recreation. In a country where less than 20% of young men and women make it to high school, it's an opportunity for sports mentoring and the development of behavioral discipline and leadership.
"This is a strategic effort to invest in Haiti's young men and women and help mold them into strong leaders, which in turn will transform the communities in which they live," says Johnson.
About the Feely Family Foundation:
The foundation focuses on efforts to support the protection, education and rehabilitation of children. It is a sponsor of the World Ministries Football club, which uses the sport of soccer to bring hope and happiness to children around the world. The foundation also grants scholarships based on financial need, educational achievement and community service requirements. The foundation seeks to support other worthy charities in their efforts to provide hope and healing to individuals at home and abroad.
About MOH:
Mission of Hope feeds over 90,000 children per day in partnership with Convoy of Hope and Feed My Starving Children, educates over 6,000 students on 13 campuses, and sees over 28,000 people per year in its onsite clinic and weekly mobile medical clinics that go into 11 villages. With four campuses and over 400 full-time Haitian employees, MOH has just completed an 8400 square foot training center and is now building a technical school and sports complex.
For media inquiries or interviews, contact Bridget Henderson 512-963-2733 / bridget@mohhaiti.org.
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