EL SEGUNDO HERALD July 2, 2015 Page 5 El Segundo AYSO: Making Friends in Africa by Gregg McMullin We often think of how blessed we are with all the comforts that we can afford, especially when it comes to sports for our children. We at times take things for granted like outfitting our children in uniforms and making sure they have the proper equipment for a sport they participate in. But there are children in developing countries who play some of the same sports our children play. They don’t have the luxury of having the same equipment and in most cases any uniforms at all. These children make do with what is available to them, which isn’t much at all. The El Segundo AYSO has found a way to help and in the process has put smiles on the little faces in schools and orphanages in Uganda and Rwanda. Thanks to the efforts of some volunteers from El Segundo, orphanages and schools in Kampala, Uganda and Kigali, Rwanda have received soccer uniforms and much needed equipment for children in these poor countries. Helping to spearhead the efforts was Scott Katskee, who volunteers for Pipeline Worldwide. It is a non-profit organization founded in 2008 that serves the needs of people both locally and around the world. “These kids just want to be like any other child in the world. They want to run around, have fun and they want to play soccer,” Katskee said. He added, “It’s easy to forget how lucky we really are.” Katskee, who is an entrepreneur, volunteers his time in helping others. He was contacted by Jamie Fox Nollete, a former high school classmate of his, who works for a connecting company that helps support worthy causes. Fox Nollete gave Katskee plenty of information on what she does and Katskee did the same. Fox Nollete invited Katskee to assist their efforts in Africa and Katskee said he wanted to take it a step further. Katskee approached the El Segundo AYSO and asked if they had anything they could donate to schools and orphanages in Africa. Soccer is the primary sport in Africa so he wanted to help outfit these children with uniforms and equipment. Timm Lawson, the president of the El Segundo AYSO, was all for helping and donating to the cause. He along with Jerry Fruchtman, who is the equipment manager for the El Segundo AYSO, gathered uniforms, balls and other equipment to be distributed. In all over 100 uniforms were gathered to outfit the children. It isn’t unusual to gather donations such as food and clothing for these poor countries. What is unique is the donation of sports equipment and full uniforms for these children. They have very little so when they receive the proper equipment and have a real uniform their faces really light up, according to Katskee. The fact that the El Segundo AYSO has stepped up is a real morale booster for these children who have seen devastation in their lives. The simplest of donations such as soccer uniforms and soccer equipment was like Christmas morning to these kids, according to Katskee. “To watch as the uniforms were distributed to these kids was priceless. I don’t think they’ve smiled like this in a long time,” Katskee said. To understand how big a deal this distribution was in the region you need some background on the area where the uniforms were given out. St. Monica’s Vocational Schools for Girls in Gulu and Atiak, Uganda is where refugee girls who were formerly abducted by warlord Joseph Kony can learn the skills that allow them to reintegrate to society. Over 2000 girls have come through this program in recent years. When Katskee visited one of the vocational schools he met Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe in Atiak, which is just south of the South Sudan border. She was recently designated as one of the top 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine. This meeting inspired Katskee and Pipeline Worldwide to do even more. Pipeline Worldwide built dormitories for these girls and Katskee was there helping put together bunk beds, deliver mattresses, sheets, blankets, pillows and mosquito nets. One of the foundations supported by Pipeline World wide is the Cornerstone Foundation and their Cows for Peace project. Katskee said he spent several days with Rwandan Genocide survivors in Kigali. He said that Cows for Peace was probably the most profound experience for him on the trip besides distributing the soccer uniforms and equipment. The Cows for Peace program brings the survivor and the perpetrator in direct contact through the raising and care of cows together. Katskee and other volunteers sat on the floor of a mud hut and heard a story from a woman of how nine members of her family were murdered. Then, in a shocking moment, the man sitting on the floor next to him started telling his story of how and why he murdered this women’s family. He said he was blown away that they could be in the same room with one another let alone raise livestock together. The work that Pipeline Worldwide does is immeasurable and they do it with volunteers like Scott Katskee and others. But it goes even deeper because of the support from people like Timm Lawson and Jerry Fruchtman and El Segundo AYSO’s generosity. If you would like more information on how you can get involved with Lakers Choose to Pass By Adam Serrao They passed on making a trade. They passed on taking Jahlil Okafor. But the Los Angeles Lakers didn’t pass on taking a passer in last week’s NBA Draft. With the second overall pick, the Lakers gambled and selected guard D’Angelo Russell from Ohio State. It’s not often that the purple and gold are faced with tough decisions like the one that they recently addressed in the draft. The last time L.A. had a top-two pick was in 1982 when the team took James Worthy first overall. Before that, it was Magic Johnson. If Russell amounts to anything close to those two players, then Laker fans are surely in for a treat. The Lakers choice to go with a guard over a starting center, however, mean that it won’t be long before “Showtime” is back in full effect in Hollywood. Players like Kareem Abdul-Jabaar, the aforementioned Worthy and Johnson, Jamaal Wilkes, and Byron Scott made up the “Showtime” Lakers squad of 35 years ago. While Scott is now the Lakers head coach, the team certainly has a long way to go to become anything like the five-time NBA champions of yesteryear. Last week’s draft gave this year’s Lakers a good shove in the right direction. While many people expected the Lakers to go big with their No. 2 pick and select Duke’s Okafor to play center in Los Angeles, the selection of Russell is the biggest tell possible as to what’s in store for the team. Russell gives the Lakers a player who makes everyone around him better. He can pass the ball, score and most importantly, he can lead the team after Kobe Bryant officially calls it a career (whenever that might actually be). The addition of Russell is not only a smart choice because the Lakers must compete in the Western Conference, but also because of the talent that will be available on this year’s free-agent market. Free-agency kicks off July 1st in the NBA and you can certainly expect the Lakers to be among the most active teams this offseason. Big name players (both in size and definition) like Marc Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Love, and DeAndre Jordan are all available and able to be had if the Lakers pitch and offer is right. That means that General Manager Mitch Kupchak and the rest of the Lakers front office decided that finding an elite center on the market would be much easier than finding an elite guard. Coach Scott says that Russell has a chance to become a “superstar” in this league. Scott is right. Quite literally, Russell has a 15.2% chance of becoming a superstar in the NBA. That’s a higher percentage chance than anyone else in the draft, even this year’s No. 1 pick, Karl-Anthony Towns. Russell also has the highest “bust” potential, however, weighing in with a 40.9% chance; also the highest of the draft. Clearly, drafting the guard for the Lakers was nothing short of a risk. A risk, though, that Kupchak believes will certainly pay off. “He’s got gifts that you can work really hard and long on and still not acquire those gifts,” the GM said of Russell. “Some of them you’re just born with or somebody sprinkles a little gold dust on you at some point. It’s just there.” The Lakers will need a sprinkle or two of that gold dust as a team. In an extremely See AYSO, page 13 See Lakers, page 13
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