The Power of Sports

Guest blogger Mike Heaton is one of the founding board members of Fields of Dreams Uganda and current Board President.  He traveled with the organization to Uganda in February 2013.

By Mike Heaton

I love sports. Playing sports growing up in Mount Pleasant, IA was an honor and a blessing. Sports gave me discipline, self-respect, confidence, work ethic, friendship and more. The skills I learned playing sports helped set me up for a great future. Thank you to all the coaches, parents, teammates and my entire hometown community.

It is easy to take sports for granted in the United States. Almost every town has a stadium, fields, courts, locker rooms, training facilities and coaches willing to teach. Communities happily support the sporting infrastructure via taxes, fees and donations toward school, YMCA and city recreation programs. Almost any child can participate in sports regardless of income, race, gender, disability or otherwise. We are very fortunate in the United States.

This is why I am so passionate about Fields of Dreams Uganda and why I serve on their Board of Directors. They use the power of sports to change the lives of children that would otherwise never have the opportunity to learn these valuable life skills. In the last 50 years, Uganda has been struck hard by corruption, war, aids and poverty. The people of Uganda are the youngest in the world with an average age of only 15.1 years old. Three million orphans make up almost 10% of the population. Many of the children have seen and suffered things no human being should ever have to experience. These children need sports. They need an outlet. They need these life skills. Participating on a soccer team has a profound impact on their lives beyond anything we will ever understand as Americans.

Unfortunately, the situation is much different in Uganda than it is in the United States. Communities work hard, but ultimately struggle to financially support the sporting infrastructure that their children need to grow. That is where Fields of Dreams Uganda comes in. They provide this infrastructure that we take for granted here in the United States. They build fields. They provide coaches and tournaments. They even assist the schools in helping children plan out their future careers and achieve their goals. Ultimately, Fields of Dreams Uganda provides hope for the orphaned and vulnerable children of Uganda.

Please consider joining me in supporting this amazing organization. Visit our website, www.fieldsofdreamsuganda.org to learn more. Then consider making an online donation. Better yet, come with me next spring to visit Uganda. It is an experience of a lifetime that I would love to share with you. There is a U.S. team there right now that you can read about on our website and here on Facebook.

I learned sportsmanship growing up. I learned to give fellow players a hand when they fell, regardless for which team they played. Please join me in lifting up the lives of thousands of children in Uganda. Help them to experience the power of sports. It will truly change their lives.

Thank you,

Mike Heaton
Board President
Fields of Dreams Uganda