COLUMBUS, Ohio - Crew forward Kei Kamara departs today for Monrovia, Liberia, where he will participate in Right To Play's 2007 Athlete Forum, which runs through Sunday, Nov. 11. Kamara is expected to return to Columbus on Monday, Nov. 12. A world leader in using sport and play for child development and peace, Right To Play became an MLS W.O.R.K.S. partner this year and Kamara serves as an Athlete Ambassador.
The purpose of Right To Play Athlete Forums is to show Athlete Ambassadors first-hand the organization's specially-designed sport and play programs geared to improving health, building life skills, and fostering peace for children an communities affected by war, poverty and disease. A native of neighboring Sierra Leone, Kamara will be joined on the trip by a variety of Olympic athletes, including Adam van Koeverden (Canada - Kayak), James McIlroy (UK - Track and Field), Whitney Ping (USA - Table Tennis) and Cheil Warners (Netherlands - Decathlete).
"Right To Play is a great organization and I am extremely excited about the trip," Kamara said. "It is especially significant to me that we are going to Liberia, which neighbors my home country and which has had a similar recent history (civil war). I am looking forward to seeing the great work being done by Right To Play and to having the opportunity to work with some of the children they serve. I also look forward to working with Right To Play in Sierra Leone in the future."
Kamara, one of 20 MLS Right To Play Athlete Ambassadors who help raise awareness and funds to assist children in the world's most disadvantaged places, just finished his second MLS season with the Crew. He has scored five goals in 36 games (13 starts).
adidas is also a driving force with Right To Play and MLS W.O.R.K.S. in raising awareness of sport as an innovative tool for addressing critical development issues, such as the lack of basic education and health information and the impact of conflict. As part of the global initiative to raise funds for Right To Play programs, adidas is producing limited edition mini Red Balls, a World Cup-style redesign of Right To Play's longstanding symbol. It retails for $10 in North America. The balls are available for purchase at www.shopadidas.com and adidas Sport Performance stores nationwide. All proceeds from the sale of the mini ball will go to support Right To Play's projects around the world.
The Red Ball embodies Right To Play's values - the best values of sport including cooperation, respect, inclusion, integrity and fair play. Written on the red ball are the words "Look after yourself, look after one another." This is the philosophy that guides Right To Play's work. Through its programs, the organization strives to empower individuals to look after themselves and look after their communities.
About Right To Play
Right To Play uses specially-designed sport and play programs to improve health, build life skills, and foster peace for children and communities affected by war, poverty, disease. Working in both the humanitarian and development contexts, Right To Play has projects in more than 20 countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Right To Play is a global-scale implementer of Sport for Development and Peace programs and takes an active role in driving research and policy development in this area and in supporting children's rights. Four-time Olympic speed skating gold medalist Johann Olav Koss (Norway) serves as president and CEO. Right To Play's USA national office is located in New York City. For more information, visit righttoplayusa.org.
About MLS W.O.R.K.S.
MLS W.O.R.K.S. is Major League Soccer's first league-wide community outreach initiative dedicated to addressing important social issues affecting young people. MLS W.O.R.K.S. serves as a platform for both league and team philanthropic programs. Specific areas of focus include health and wellness, education, respect, fair play, leadership, human rights and diversity with an emphasis on programs and initiatives directed at school-aged children.
About the Columbus Crew
Founded by American sports pioneer Lamar Hunt, the Columbus Crew is Ohio's Major League Soccer club, anchoring a diverse sports and entertainment enterprise. One of the league's Charter Members and the U.S. Open Cup champion in 2002, it recently completed its 12th season overall and ninth in first-of-its-kind Columbus Crew Stadium.
