DINOS SOCCER 4 HOPE

U N I V E R S I T Y O F C A L G A R YVARSITY WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM

Dear Friend of Dinos Women’s Soccer:

The University of Calgary Dinos women’s soccer team is an elite level soccer team competing in the Canadian In-teruniversity Sports (CIS) league, and partnering with Soccer 4 Hope.

Being student athletes has enriched our university experiences, teaching us life lessons about the importance of teamwork, the value of commitment, and the rewards of perseverance. The team has a strong history of community involvement, supporting local programs such as Raise-a-Reader and Big Brothers and Big Sisters. Many players have also trained or coached youth teams from the U8 to U18 level. Our desire to share the knowledge and passion we have acquired with others in a challenging international environment has motivated our partnership with Soccer 4 Hope.

Soccer 4 Hope was founded in South Africa in 1995 as a part of Hoops 4 Hope - a global not-for-profit organization providing school-aged boys and girls with the opportunity to partake in high quality Basketball, Soccer and Life Skills Programs. More specifically, Soccer 4 Hope is committed to teaching girls life skills through the sport of soccer and mentorship. From May 1 to May 15, 2011 members of the Dinos women’s soccer team will be traveling to Cape Town, South Africa to carry out the mission of the organization. During our two week visit, we will be distributing soccer apparel and equipment collected during a donation drive at our last home game of the 2010 season, in addi-tion to spending time mentoring local girls teams.

It is our goal to raise $40,000, $10,000 of which will be donated directly to Soccer 4 Hope. We would like to invite you to make a donation to Dinos Soccer 4 Hope, and help us make a difference in the girls soccer community in South Africa. All donors will be recognized on our website listed below, and donations above $500 will be mentioned in next year’s UofC Women’s Soccer Information Package, distributed at every home game. Donations above $500 will also receive a post-trip report, which will include stories and pictures from Cape Town.

For further information, please visit our website (www.dinos4hope.com) or contact Morena Ianniello (403-797-0878 / morena.ianniello@gmail.com).

On behalf of the members of the University of Calgary Dinos women’s soccer team, I would like to thank you for taking the time to review our donation package.

Sincerely,

! ! Brittany Benson ! ! ! Morena Ianniello

!

DINOS WOMENS SOCCER Telephone: (403) 797-0878

Email: morena.ianniello@gmail.com

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Soccer 4 Hope (S4H)Mission of the Organization

S4H “is committed to providing girls and young women in challenged environments with a safe, nurturing place where they can develop more than just skills for the playing field: they can develop Skills 4 Life and grow up to be influential, contributing members of their communities. The S4H Skills for Life program focuses on dealing with gender issues, violence against women, and HIV.”

HIV Prevention, Girls Empowerment and Life Skills

Skills 4 Life are an essential component of Soccer 4 Hope programs. HIV/Aids prevention, self-respect, and self-esteem are important areas of focus to decrease risky behavior and give young woman a chance for a healthy, safe and productive future. Community education is another cornerstone of the organization, emphasizing the value of sport and educational opportunities for young women.

Soccer Development and Equipment

Training in the sport itself is essential. While there is a great deal of raw talent, there is little in depth technical knowledge of the sport, especially for women. S4H engages the best in the sport to train our coaches. Girls also need cleats and sneakers while their teams need uniforms and equipment. Soccer 4 Hope gets donated recycled equipment by the container load from North America, from donation drives such as the one organized by the Dinos at the end of October. They also organize the teams, leagues and tournaments and exciting events to keep them in the game.

Sustainable Support though the All Star Coaching Program

The World Cup in 2010 brought incredible excitement and opportunity to South Africa. There is a need for women to be trained in sports administration, to develop the skills to manage a team, organize clubs, and teach girls about how to battle the immense challenges that surround them. Girls are 4 times more likely to get HIV in a region ravaged by the disease. S4H is a stepping-stone for careers in sports, teaching, and hospitality that addresses long-term economic security and vulnerability. Soccer 4 Hope is currently running girls teams in 24 schools in Cape Town, empowering girls and coaches to build their personal skills and fight the pandemics of violence and HIV/Aids through soccer.

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Kristen Barton is in her fourth year at the University of Calgary, taking a combined bachelors and master’s degree of Science in Kinesiology. She has done research for the past two summers under USRP and NSERC Undergraduate Studentships. Kristen is an honours student and has been on the Dean’s list for the past three years, in addition to receiving the Jason Lang Scholarship, the Jimmie Condon Scholarship and the Frances Camyre Memorial Bursary. Last year Kristen spent a semester in Scotland where she attended the University of Aberdeen, taking classes and playing on the University of Aberdeen women’s soccer team. Kristen gives back to her local community volunteer-ing at the Faculty of Medicine Diabetes Trials Unit and at the Foothills Hospital Ortho-pedic Trauma Unit. She also has international volunteer experience in Ghana and Mex-ico. Kristen is looking forward to volunteering in Cape Town because she believes “you must be the change you wish to see in the world”. Ghandi

Saaraa Premji is currently in her fifth year of study at the University of Calgary major-ing in Petroleum Geology. She was inspired to take on geology by her father, Rafik Premji, who is an oil and gas engineer. The central midfielder recently finished her fourth year of playing on the Dinos women's soccer team and in that time has been awarded athlete of the week on two occasions. Saaraa has volunteered in Calgary within the Ismaili community, helping organize and coach several outdoor soccer camps for youth. She is also a volunteer at the mosque she attends. Saaraa comes from a soccer family. Both her mom and dad played soccer growing up and her younger sister, Ranee, is attending the University of North Carolina on a soccer scholarship. Saaraa has been around the game since she was young and she hopes that she can share her knowledge, passion and love of the game with all the amazing young women in Cape Town.

Sheila Morrison is studying Exercise and Health Physiology at the University of Cal-gary. Currently in her fourth year of studies, she returned to the varsity team this year for her third season with the Dinos women's soccer team. Sheila has played defense and midfield for the team, and has been awarded Jimmie Condon scholarship for ath-letics, Crystal Yawching Women's Soccer Award, and been recognized as an Academic All-Canadian. Sheila works during her studies as an Optometric Assistant and also enjoys doing research in the Human Performance Lab at the U of C. Sheila is a member of the U of C Student Athlete Advisory Committee, an active volunteer for the Cana-dian National Institute for the Blind, and a Big Sister to youth in her local community. The opportunity to travel to Cape Town means the world to her because it will allow her to give back to the global soccer community and add to the positive life experi-ences of underprivileged youth.

Andrea Nania is currently studying Kinesiology at the University of Calgary. She is in her first year and this was her first varsity season with the UofC Dinos. Graduating with honors from Bishop Carroll, Andrea received the Alexander Rutherford Scholar-ship and a U of C entrance scholarship. Andrea grew up in Calgary playing youth soc-cer on elite level teams traveling to Canada and the US for tournaments. She is an ac-tive member of her community, volunteering her time at an animal shelter, and work-ing as a soccer coach. Having played soccer all her life, it is a pivotal part of who she is and has given her the ability to become a more confident player and a stronger team player. Andrea is excited to get involved with Soccer 4 Hope for it will provide a brand new experience in a sport aspect and also a university experience.  

Biographies of Players Traveling to Cape Town

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Caitlin Milne is studying Mechanical Engineering and International Relations at the University of Calgary. Currently in her fifth year of studies, she returned to the varsity team this season after spending 2009 on an Engineering internship in Switzerland. Cait-lin has played defense for the Dinos women’s soccer team for 4 years, and in that time has been awarded the Jimmie Condon scholarship for athletics, been recognized as an Academic All-Canadian, and been selected to the second-team Canada West All Stars. Between academic years, she has worked coaching soccer camps for youth in her com-munity. Caitlin has volunteered in Calgary with the non-profit organizations Right to Play and Engineers without Borders, and is now excited to get involved abroad with Soccer 4 Hope. Soccer has always been a very positive part of her life, and she is looking forward to sharing her passion for the game with young women in Cape Town.

Morena Ianniello is a fifth-year Kinesiology student at the University of Calgary, major-ing in Health and Exercise Physiology. After completing her degree, she is planning on applying to Medicine at the University of Calgary for Fall 2012. Over the past 5 years, Morena has played forward and midfield for the Dinos soccer team, and has received awards such as the Jimmie Condon Scholarship, the Jason Lang Scholarship, the CWSA Scholarship, and was recognized as an Academic All-Canadian. This season, Morena was selected as a second-team Canada West All-Star, and was awarded the Canada West Women's Soccer Student Athlete of the Year. Morena has done plenty of volunteering over the past several years, including distributing food at the Calgary Food Bank, men-toring with Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and coaching various soccer teams. Morena hopes to be a mentor to all of the young girls in Cape Town, and is eager to make an impact on their lives. 

Brittany Benson is in her final year of studies at the University of Calgary, majoring in Civil Engineering with a specialization in Biomedical Engineering. Brittany has been a member of the team since 2005, and she took a one year hiatus from the varsity soccer program in 2009 to pursue an Engineering internship in Switzerland. While in Switzer-land, Brittany played for FC Baden in the Swiss National B league with fellow Dinos teammate, Caitlin Milne. Brittany has received Jason Lang, Jimmie Condon and Alex-ander Rutherford scholarships, in addition to receiving four Academic-All Canadian awards. Sharing her passion for soccer with others is important to Brittany; she coached an elite level Calgary youth soccer team for four years and she coached the girl’s soccer team at her former Junior High School. Traveling to South Africa will be a terrific oppor-tunity for Brittany to share the life skills she learned in soccer with others.

Lindsay Burrowes is a fifth year Mechanical Engineering student specializing in Bio-medical Engineering. She has received numerous athletic and academic awards, most notably the Calgary Booster Club Scholar-Athlete Award in 2010. In 2009 she repre-sented Canada at the Summer Universiade in Belgrade, Serbia. She has also been a member of the provincial program and the national training program prior to joining the Dinos. She has volunteered coaching various youth teams in the city, most recently a U16 Tier I NSD Girls team. Participating in Soccer 4 Hope provides an exciting oppor-tunity for Lindsay to share the joy and passion she has for soccer with others. She has had amazing experiences through soccer and is grateful to all the coaches that volunteer their time to make a difference, and is looking forward to giving back and impacting peoples’ lives through soccer.

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Katrina Strauss is a fourth year English student also pursuing a minor in European History at the University of Calgary. During the course of her four years as an outside midfielder for the Dinos women’s soccer team, she has earned the Jimmie Condon Ath-letic Scholarship annually and achieved Academic All-Canadian status. Scholastically, she has also been the recipient of the University of Calgary Entrance Awards, Jason Lang Scholarship, and General Dynamics Canada Scholarship. In the community, she has mentored schoolchildren with the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Canada and vol-unteered for events such as Raise a Reader, Minor Soccer All-Star Tournaments, and various university-run sports clinics. During the past three summers she has worked at local soccer camps with Royal City Soccer Club. Katrina is eager to take her soccer ex-perience and love for both coaching and volunteering to an international level this spring in South Africa with Soccer 4 Hope.

Deanna Fidler is studying Secondary Education in Physical Education at the University of Calgary, where she plays with the Dinos varsity soccer team. Previously she at-tended Brock University where she played varsity soccer and completed a Bachelor in Kinesiology. In 2008, Deanna also earned Athlete of the Week, two athletic scholarships and completed her honours degree in Kinesiology. That same year, Deanna was able to assist Brock University in attending their first national event, where they came second in Canada. Deanna is often drawn to volunteer her time to helping children who are less fortunate, such as advocating active living with children with special needs. She has a deep history of experience in coaching soccer at various summer camps and at a house league level. Deanna spent her past summer teaching English to children at a summer camp in Spain. Deanna is very excited about the prospect of making a differ-ence for young women in Cape Town. 

Salina Kanji is currently in her 3rd year in the general Kinesiology program at the Uni-versity of Calgary. Following her undergraduate degree Salina will pursue further education to complete a degree in Optometry. After overcoming a serious ACL injury and reconstruction in 2008, she joined the Dinos women’s soccer team in her second year. While continuing to be apart of the varsity team, Salina continues play for a women’s major league team with competition within the province. Aside from athlet-ics and academics, Salina traveled to Brazil in May of 2010 for a 30-day trip organized by an international non-government organization to volunteer and play soccer with the children of Sao Paulo and Francisco Morato. From a very young age soccer has been a big part of Salina’s life, and she is looking forward to working with Soccer 4 Hope to make a difference in the lives of the young women in Cape Town.  

Joanna Ng graduated from the University of Calgary in 2009 with a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce. She was a member of the women’s varsity soccer team for five years, winning one Canada West Championship and placing fourth at CIS National’s. Joanna volunteers for numerous organizations including the Calgary Drop-in Center, Habitat for Humanity, Samaritan’s Purse and Alberta Theatre Projects. Moreover, she organ-ized three events for the Diabetes Association, MS Society and Huntington’s Society raising over $50,000. Joanna would like to be able to connect with these young women through the universality and inspiration of sport. Growing up, she had many athletic role models and she hopes to provide the same for the young women in Cape Town. Soccer 4 Hope looks to provide a safe outlet on a soccer pitch to some young women who have been raised in hostile environments. In volunteering with them, we’re sup-porting the same mission.

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Donor Information:

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Name (Last, First) ! ! Company Name (If Applicable)

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Address ! ! ! ! ! ! City, Province

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Postal Code! ! Phone Number! ! ! E-mail Address

Cheque Option:

! Enclosed is a cheque in the amount of ! payable to:

University of Calgary Dinos Soccer4Hope

Credit Card Option:Credit card donations can be made online at https://netcommunity.ucalgary.ca/SSLPage.aspx?pid=2286 or by

completing the information below and forwarding it to our student representative, Morena Ianniello. Tax

receipts are provided for donations of $25 or more.

Please charge my: Visa / Master Card / American Express

/ (month/year) Card Number Expiry Date

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Name (as it appears on card)! ! ! Card Holder’s Signature

Unless otherwise stated, gifts will be recognized with the donor information above.

! I would like my gift to be “Anonymous”

! Please recognize my gift as from: ! ! ! ! ! !

! I am making this donation in Honor of: ! ! ! ! !

DONOR SIGNATURE: ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Please send completed forms via mail to:

Morena Ianniello, 213 Hamptons Mews NW Calgary, AB. T3A5C2

Dinos 4 Hope Donation Form

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