After rather recklessly landing the one available parking spot within the vicinity, I get out of the car, grab my camera, notebook and water bottle. I glance at the others, who are all wearing the same sly smile I am. As we walk towards the gym, passersby eye us curiously. Young men packed into a sedan yell, “GO N.C. STATE, WHOOOO!” as they pass us. We shrug and smirk at each other.
We’re walking through N.C. State campus decked out in our UNC gear.
Late Saturday afternoon I attended a dodgeball tournament hosted by Love for the Sake of Love, a non-profit organization dedicated to connecting college students to third-world communities in need.
Participants paid $10 to enter, and the proceeds will go towards the construction of a children’s home in Kampala, Uganda. Organizers cleverly titled the event Hit a Kid, Save a Kid (warning: you may want to turn your speakers down before clicking that link!).
The founders of Love for the Sake of Love made a personal connection with the young woman behind the children’s home, Abby Tracy, through Providence Baptist Church in Raleigh.
Put simply, Tracy traveled to Uganda through a study abroad program several years ago, fell in love with the street kids and decided to stay. She has been working to care for abandoned youth in Kampala ever since. Her chief project is a children’s home that feeds local kids, builds relationships with the regulars and eventually incorporates them into their “family.”
It’s a transitional process that transforms rough-and-tumble street kids into brothers and sisters in a supportive, nurturing environment, said Gamble.
Founders Alison Gamble and Andrew Vanover are both currently at N.C. State, though Gamble is truly enrolled at UNC and only taking courses at State this particular semester. The two have known each other since high school and founded the non-profit in December of 2009.
While the vast majority of attendees seem to be State students, Gamble touched base with friends on her home campus, inviting them to play or help out in any way. A train of invitations later, a team was born. We’re here, and we called ourselves the “Blue Steel.”
Granted, our clothing selections may have not been particularly advantageous.
We’re a bit of a target.
If you would like to learn more about Love for the Sake of Love, please contact Alison Gamble at agamble@loveforthesakeoflove.com.
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