Testimonials

---

"Dear JFLSA staff,

My name is Megan Pelino and I attended the Chicago JFLSA just a few weeks ago. I just wanted to say thank you for the amazing week that truly changed my life. When I was at camp my project that I was going to follow up on was to make a teen group at my church to make rosaries for the army, but I have changed it and I would like to tell you how excited I am about?my new one. I was watching Larry King Live with my mom about a week ago and Jim MacLaren was on it. I recognized him from the Emmanuel's Gift video I saw at camp. He was talking about his life-changing experiences and his foundation called the "Choose Living Foundation". It?inspires and helps people who are in terrible health conditions. In his foundation he has "heroes". Jim mentioned one of his heroes on the Larry King Live show, her name is Alex Hermstad. Alex is a 13 (almost 14) year old girl who is dying and doctors don't exactly know why. Her family also doesn't have a lot?of money and they are practically homeless. Before she became sick she was a regular kid riding horses and playing softball and basketball. Her life has drastically changed. A few times she has been in the hospital and the doctors had told her that she was going to die but Alex has pulled through all those times. Why? Because she chose to live, she decided to fight. When I saw her story on Larry King I felt an immediate connection between us because I was her age and I saw an amazing opportunity to choose to matter. After the show I went on Jim's web site and?I found a way to donate to Alex and her family. I also sent her family a note saying I am praying for them and I will soon be sending more money due to help from friends and family and fundraising. I also gave her my e-mail so they could e-mail me back if they wanted to. The next day I got a pleasant surprise. Alex's twin sister, Jaci, sent me an e-mail back saying how much they appreciated my donation and my support. They also said they were truly touched by a girl my age wanting to help out like this. The feeling t!
 his gave
 me was indescribable, it felt so good. Jaci and I are e-mailing almost everyday know, and we are going to try our best to keep in touch. I just wanted to say that none of this would have happened without Julie and the staff. The experience has changed my life so much and I really think that I am a whole different person now. Thank you so much for giving me the support to "choose to matter" and to change someone's life. I can't tell you how grateful I am.

Sincerely,
Megan Pelino"

---

---

"Dear Ms. Foudy,
 
I just wanted to take a moment and thank you for giving my daughter such a great experience at camp.  I did not get to speak much to Karlee the week she was gone because it was so full of activity, but,  from the moment I picked her up at the airport I could not get a word in edge wise for the next two hours.  She had tons of stories and photos to share and was so excited about being on team Brazil (who was number 1 according to her).  To my surprise, her favorite part was volunteering at the nursing home.  Karlee came home from your camp and volunteered the last three weeks of summer, and in that short time accumulated  100 service hours.
What I loved so much about your camp is that it was not just about soccer.  That leadership aspect which is so important yet so lacking in most camps was the icing on the cupcake at your camp.  You could not have picked better guest speakers, Robin Roberts is amazing and Self magazine is the only one I've ever subscribed to.  In whole this camp was fantastic and was such a great influence on Karlee.
Well Thanks again for such a fantastic opportunity,"
 
Betsy Janigian

---

"Dear Julie Foudy,

I attended the Julie Foudy Sports Leadership academy in New Jersey a few months ago, and I really just wanted to say thank you for an amazing week
that I will remember my whole life. Thank you for giving me (and many other kids) the opportunity to meet and listen to amazing people. I learned so much about
leadership that I would never have understood if I hadn't gone to your camp. You encouraged me to choose to matter, and to make a difference in any positive
way I could. Because of you and your amazing staff, I am volunteering at a local animal hospital, and researching places where I can help. I also want to take CPR classes at the Red Cross, and as soon as I am old enough, I plan to take all the other classes the Red Cross suggested at the talk they gave us on community service day.

Anyway, pretty much all I am trying to say is thank you, and tell you how much of an influence your camp made on my life.

Thanks again!"

Sincerely,
Saskia Owens

PS- My best friend, Maggie and I wanted to collect old
soccer gear from our club and send it to Roiya and
Shamila's (I don't know if that is how you spell their
names??) soccer club in Afghanistan, and we were
wondering if you have an address of their club or
somewhere we can send the gear to. If you could write
me back either by email or mail that would be great!

---

Dear Julie, Ian and staff,
 
Recently, I attended the JFSLA in New Jersey and I have to say that it was the best experience of my life so far.  Between soccer sessions with some of the greatest female soccer players today, to hearing inspirational stories, the Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academy helped be to become a better person/leader on and off the soccer field.  I became friends with so many other girls and I cannot wait to see them in the future.  Although I was very happy to see my family when I got home, I missed the other girls a great deal (now we've been instant messaging each other non-stop!!).  As you can see, I have only good things to say about the academy.  Once again, thank you for the great opportunity that you gave me this summer....I will never forget to CHOOSE TO MATTER!!!!!
 
 
Thank you,
 
Mackenzie Thomas

---

Dear Julie,

  Thank you so much for the incredible week I had at your leadership camp in New Jersey. The week I spent there was one of the most valuable of my life, and I loved being around players such as yourself and the other coaches at the camp, especially Kendall Fletcher. I also wanted to thank you for the National Team jersey you gave me!!!!! My mom is having it framed, and I have already cleared a space for it on my wall, right next to my Carla Overbeck ball from Duke. Your jersey is one of the few things in my room that I can say without a doubt I will have forever.
  Throughout this week, you frequently said that in ten or fifteen years, you wanted us to come back to you and tell you that this camp changed our lives. Mine has already changed. Even though I learned a lot everyday throughout the week, one of the most valuable days for me was the community service day. At our school, we are required to fulfill a 15 hour minimum for community service each year. Participating in your camp has inspired me to rise above that, and get others involved as well (Live, Lead, and Pass it on!!) As soon as I got back to Pittsburgh, I emailed my high school soccer coach and told her about Roya and Shamila, and their struggles in Afghanastan. Last year, we held a fundraiser for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. I asked her if it would be possible to do something for the girls in Afghanastan. She thought that it would be a great idea, but that I would need to talk to the team to get support. I talked to my school soccer team about the girls and their cause, especially how they need money for fields and equipment. My coach said we would need at least eight or nine girls to participate. I was suprised when the entire team of twenty-two girls volunteered! Through collaboration, we have decided to sponsor several activities throughout the rest of the summer to help a team in Afghanastan, starting with a car wash/ bake sale during our preseason. Together, we are going to make a difference.
 
Thanks again for the amazing week at your camp!!

Sincerley,

Caroline King

---

Dear Julie Foudy Team-

I want to commend all of you on the fabulous leadership camp that all of
you so professionally facilitate.
My daughter Rachel had a wonderful time and came back with many little
words of wisdom to help her through the day.  Her coach noticed
immediately the difference in her approach towards her team and the
positive way she tries to approach them.  Although she continues to be
frustrated with the lack of "team" her team has, she is trying to
encourage it in a much more positive way.  I attribute the words of
wisdom and the approach used at camp for the change in her approach.
As a parent, the energy generate with in this group of girls was obvious
the minute we arrived to watch the "world cup" on Friday.  It was
amazing to watch 165+ girls sing "Oh I feel so good, oh just like I knew
I could" and see the motivation it created for all of them.
Thank you again for such a wonderful experience.  I have no doubt Rachel
will be back again for many years to come.

Mike and Lori Reich

---

Dear Staff of the Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academy (JFSLA),

I wanted to write you to thank you for the amazing camp (JFSLA). I learned so much in a week that otherwise would have taken years. At JFSLA, we learned what it takes to be a good leader, on and off of the field, as well as standing up and doing the right thing. Most importantly, however, you taught us how to “Live, Lead, and Pass It On”. I have been able to use this in my life already, in the form of a series of free soccer clinics, which I am offering to Latino girls in my community. With the assistance of the local high school coach and the Passback program at Eurosport I have been able to start this clinic to allow Latino girls to play soccer. However, after I arrived at home from your camp, I began to realize that the clinic (called Let the Girls Play, or Que Juegan las Niñas) could also give these girls confidence in themselves, and the ability to lead not only themsleves, but also others.

Thirteen girls from ages 7 to 13 participated in Que Juegan las Niñas, all of whom have never touched a soccer ball in their life. The closest that they had gotten to the sport was on the sidelines, when they would watch their fathers and uncles play, or when their brothers would kick a ball around while the local league games were held. Now, they are all smiles and shining eyes when they run around the field, participating in fun games and warm-ups, such as the Shadow Running that we did at JFSLA. Recently, all of the girls who participated have signed up for Rainbow Soccer, which is a local Rec league for younger kids. I know this is in part to the fact that many of the things we did during Que Juegan las Niñas are from your camp. For example, at the conclusion of each session, we all shouted “Que Juegan las Niñas!”, similar to the clapping and shouting of “CHOOSE TO MATTER!!!!!!” The girls just plain and simply loved it, and I have decided to offer the program for years to come.

So, all in all, I just wanted to say thank you. You have taught me a very valuable lesson, and the girls at Que Juegan las Niñas and I will keep trying to “Live, Lead, and Pass It On!” Spread the love!

Thank you so much,
Elicia Hyde-DeRuyscher, or Eli
(Team Brazil at JFSLA)

---

Hi,
My name is Sarah Thompson. I attended the west coast session of the JFSLA
this past summer. I had so much fun, and learned many valuable lessons, too!

This fall, I have been applying to high school. I live in San Francisco,
where the process for applying is a huge deal, and involves multiple essays,
standardized tests, and so on. For one of my main essays the prompt asked me
to describe an event that influenced my life. Immediately after reading the
prompt, I knew what I was going to write about- my week at the JFSLA. I
recently finished the essay (attached), and wanted to thank everyone at the
camp for giving me such a great experience. It's one I'll never forget!

Can't wait until next year!
Sarah Thompson

PS
The final version of the essay is attached; I hope you like it. I tried my
best to cram all the best parts of the camp into one essay, but that was
pretty hard to do with a 500 word limit! Thanks again for such a great time.
I think about that week all the time!