Help us Help Others

TJ Widbin, an extraordinary 20-year-old from Iowa has been helping bring soccer to the lives of young Kenyans for the last couple of years though his program, Kicks4Kenya. We at the Wizards have been fortunate enough to help TJ out along the way, and would like to do so again. At the present time, TJ is not going to be able to make a trip to Kenya this year due to a lack of funds. TJ informs us it would not cost him very much, but he has been unable, thus far, to round up the funds. In order to help out this incredible young person with this incredible task, we ask that you send modest donations to us in TJ's name. We will then relay the funds and other donations (balls, jerseys etc) to him for his trip. Thanks in advance to all you generous souls out there. We and TJ REALLY appreciate the help.

TJ with a team and a Wizards soccer ball from his trip to Kenya last summer.

Hillcrest Road: Why did you start this project that has now included multiple trips to Africa?
TJ Widbin: During my first trip to Kenya in 2005, I did not go with the intent to bring soccer balls and equipment for the kids. I was a pretty naïve 17-year-old who didn't even know they liked soccer. When I got over there though, I quickly found out they didn't like soccer, but they lived for it. I noticed though that none of the kids played with real soccer balls. They played with paper sacks tied together with rope or string. I couldn't talk with the kids because of the language barrier, but soccer broke that barrier as we could all play no matter what language we spoke. So I fell in love with soccer just for the fact that it broke down walls that were there. When I got back home, I decided I wanted to do more in Africa that was soccer related because it was so huge over there, but nobody had balls or anything. I thought to myself "I can’t get rid of poverty, but I can get them a soccer ball." So I started looking on the internet for groups that did work in Africa through soccer but the cost was like $5000 for a month. Since I don’t have that kind of money I decided to start Kicks4Kenya and do it on my own. Now here we are.


HR: How did you go about taking care of the logistics of such a massive project?
TJ: The internet is a fantastic thing. I probably sent more emails out in the 3 months before I left than in my entire life. I started out talking with the owner of the orphanage I stayed at in 2005, and just worked from there. He gave me the e-mail of his friend that likes soccer, and then I got e-mails of principals that wanted to start soccer teams at their schools. So before we left we had an idea of how many schools and orphanages we were going to, and that helped out a lot. As far as when I was over there, we just went day by day. We stayed at a baby orphanage for a week or so then went to a different orphanage. It was through a lot of emails and a lot of luck that things just fell into place.

HR: Were you nervous before your first trip?
TJ: I was never really nervous before the trip. I think the thing I was most nervous about was the food. I’m a picky eater and I knew I wouldn't get steak and fries there. As far as being nervous for my safety, I was pretty calm.

HR: How did those feelings change on subsequent trips?
TJ: Before I left last summer, I was so excited. I couldn't wait to get back over there! I was still nervous about the food but knew a little bit more what to expect. As I talk to you now, I wish I could just hop on a plane and get over there. Africa does that to you. Someone told me in the airport before we headed back that once you get to Africa, your heart will always be split in two. You will always want to go back.

HR: What is the most rewarding aspect of your work since starting Kicks4Kenya?
TJ: Life in Kenya is different than life in the states, especially for the kids. In the U.S., a kid only worries about like when he can play or what he will have for dinner. A kid in Kenya has to worry about if they will even make it home from school, or if they will even get a dinner that night. So with all these things to worry about, they don’t really have time to just be kids and have fun. So when they get to play soccer they can be kids; that is their escape. So the most rewarding thing is just being able to give them that escape, but at the same time allowing them to do it with real balls and not just plastic sacks or rocks. It is really cool to see the smile on a kid’s face when you give them a soccer ball. Its like you gave them the world.


HR: How did you first decide to contact the Wizards?
TJ: When I decided to start Kicks4Kenya my goal was to get a few soccer balls to take over. I really had no big picture in mind; I just wanted a few balls. I e-mailed the Wizards and the Chicago Fire because they were the two closest MLS teams to me. I also e-mailed the University of Iowa for help. If I was to get an answer, I expected it to be in a few weeks. An hour after I sent out the email Erin Lawless sent me one back and we just started talking and it took off from there. She has been awesome with helping me out with the project. Actually, everyone involved with the Wizards has been awesome.

HR: Has working with a professional team added to the impact on the children in Africa?
TJ: When we were handing out the balls a lot of the kids asked what the logo on the balls were. I told them that they were from a professional team in the U.S. called the Wizards and that was their team logo. Although they didn't know who the Wizards were, I think that just knowing that a professional soccer team was helping them really meant a lot to them.

HR: What are your future goals with Kicks4Kenya?
TJ: It’s kind of funny what some of my goals are now because when I first started I just wanted a few soccer balls. Now I see what is possible and that things can be done. Eventually, I would like to build a permanent base in Kenya with a soccer complex. Sort of like what a rec-plex would be here. A place with good fields in which we could have tournaments and just have kids come and have a safe time. I would love to see it get to the point where we have league teams in Kenya (like U-15's or that sort of thing), and then have other traveling teams come and compete against the teams we have worked with in Kenya. Then, while they are there, to have them work in the communities to make them a better place--use soccer to help change Kenya. It’s a big goal, but I think that would be awesome. I would like to live in Kenya one day, so the thought of having an orphanage and soccer complex is just awesome. For the short term, I would like to build a soccer field in Nakuru, Kenya, so that the schools there could compete against one another. I also want to start raising money for mosquito nets since Malaria is such a deadly disease. Of course we also need more soccer balls. :)

HR: How can Kansas City fans help you reach those goals?
TJ: The best way to help is financially. Last summer we took balls and jerseys over in our luggage, but that only works for a small-scale project. If we want to start doing things in a larger scale, which we would like to do, then we need to be able to buy the balls and things over there and deliver them. Of course if someone offers a ball we certainly won't reject it. We need all of those we can get also.

If you want to help Kicks4Kenya get off the ground for this year, visit TJ's Kicks4Kenya blog or send your donations to the Wizards at:

Kansas City Wizards
c/o Kicks4Kenya
8900 State Line
Suite 500
Leawood, KS 66206

Thanks again guys, and great job TJ.