June 4 – June 10

Welcome to week eleven of the Sports Doing Good newsletter. While we are based in New York, USA, we look to highlight stories from any part of the world, from any source. Sports and doing good is not the property of one person, sport, event, or region. It is, thankfully, common to all.

This week we had a nice collection of stories having to do with international athletes, events, and sports, as well as stories coming from international sources. They included stories involving Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, the U.K’s Lord Sebastian Coe, past, current, and aspiring Olympic athletes , Spanish basketball player Pau Gasol, Welsh footballer Craig Bellamy, Italian cyclist Gino Bartali, and European soccer/futbol players vying for their continent’s biggest prize.

Please continue to send along your stories. You are both our audience and our best source of stories. Finally, if you think others would like to receive the newsletter, please feel free to forward it on or have them contact us directly at sab@sportsdoinggood.com. (If you do not want to receive the newsletter anymore you can use the Unsubscribe button at the end of the newsletter.)

So enjoy. And have a good week.

Fun Doing Good:

Usain Bolt runs into flower girl after winning race in Oslo (video)
“For being the world’s fastest man and one of those technically proficient athletes in human history, Usain Bolt has one noticeable flaw: He’s slow off the blocks. As he demonstrated this week at a meet in Oslo, he also could use some work in stopping.” http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/olympics-fourth-place-medal/usain-bolt-runs-over-flower-girl-winning-race-124248587–oly.html

Natalie Coughlin’s intense workouts (video)
You will see champion swimmer prepping for another run, oops, swim, towards Olympic glory. Three other videos of Natalie and those of other elite athletes can also be seen. http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/features/elite-athlete-workouts/natalie-coughlin/coughlin-s-intense-swim-workout-29594193.html

Heart-pumping trailer for Euro 2012 (video)
Check out these highlights for the major soccer/futbol tournament now taking place in the Ukraine and Poland. The tourney is already creating highlights for 2016!  http://youtu.be/1-gQ4rexfmo

Six-Year-Old Sends Brandon Jacobs $3.36 To Stay With The Giants
It’s a little hard for a child to understand why someone he likes has to leave, but his mother explained it the best she could: “The Giants didn’t have enough money to keep him.”Joe (via his mother) sent Jacobs this letter and $3.36 to get him to return to New York. “So you could go to the Giants, here is my money. Love, Joe.” Jacobs posted it on Twitter, and promised to pay the kid a surprise visit. He then went car shopping.  http://deadspin.com/5916300/six+year+old-sends-brandon-jacobs-336-to-stay-with-the-giants

Athletes Doing Good

Thunder follow Kevin Durant’s lead to NBA Finals, eliminate Spurs
Everybody wanted a picture with the NBA’s greatest young star. Friends, family members, the NBA’s omnipresent and eternally leather-clad fan, Jimmy Goldstein – even Kevin Durant’s own mother. Thursday morning was closing hard on Wednesday night, and Durant had wandered onto the court to find his mom for one more kiss. http://tinyurl.com/ckhe3cx

Prep runner carries foe to finish line (video) (“Do-Gooder of the Week:)
With about 20 meters to go in the 3,200, Arden McMath, a sophomore from Arlington High School, collapsed in front of Vogel. Rather than run by her, Vogel helped McMath to her feet and carried her across the finish line, making sure to keep McMath ahead of her. http://espn.go.com/high-school/track-and-xc/story/_/id/8010251/high-school-runner-carries-fallen-opponent-finish-line

Hollywood script continues for Evelyn Stevens
Four years ago to that day, Stevens, then working in investment banking for a Wall Street firm, participated in her first road cycling clinic in Central Park. She had been smitten by the bike racing bug mere months before, when her sister Angela persuaded her to enter a cyclocross event in the Bay Area. Stevens celebrated the anniversary by returning to Central Park with a few of her Specialized-lululemon teammates. But this time, she was being filmed by NBC because she had just clinched a slot on the U.S. Olympic team. http://espn.go.com/espnw/olympics/8018151/2012-london-olympics-hollywood-script-continues-cyclist-evelyn-stevens

Amputee Athletes Push Physical Boundaries at Unique Clinic
As diverse as they are, they came together at the Orthopaedic Institute one recent spring afternoon for a common purpose: to participate in UCSF’s Amputee Comprehensive Training program, the first and only multidisciplinary athletic training program for civilian amputees in the country. Athletes go through a full physical evaluation, gait analysis, artificial limb socket evaluation, strength training exercises, and lateral sports drills such as basketball, rock climbing, cycling, swimming, boxing and martial arts.  http://www.ucsf.edu/news/2012/06/12118/amputee-athletes-push-physical-boundaries-unique-clinic

Brian Banks getting another shot at his NFL dream
Banks, 26, was a former blue-chip high school prospect who spent five years in prison after accepting a plea deal on one count of forcible rape. Following his release from prison, Banks had to register as a sex offender and wear an electronic tracking bracelet. Banks’ conviction was overturned last month after his accuser admitted she lied.  http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d829a88cf/article/brian-banks-getting-another-shot-at-his-nfl-dream

Pau Gasol Awarded NBA’s Season Long Community Assist Award
Congratulations to Pau Gasol for being awarded the NBA’s season long Community Assist Award for the 2011-2012 season. The league presents the Community Assist Award monthly throughout the season as well as a final award at the end of the season to recognize players for their year-round charitable efforts. The award honors the NBA player who best reflects the passion that the league and its players have for giving back to their communities. Along with the award there is a $25,000 donation made to the charity of Pau’s choice. Pau has chosen to donate the money to a local children’s hospital.  http://www.nba.com/lakers/news/120604_pau-community-assist

Additional Stories

Atlanta Falcons Offensive Guard Justin Blalock to Partner with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra to Support Music Education – http://www.atlantasymphony.org/~/media/Sites/ASO2011/Newsroom/Press%20Releases/Justin%20Blalock-ASO%20Partnerhip%20-%20FINAL.ashx

Martin wins qualifier, headed back to U.S. Open – http://espn.go.com/golf/usopen12/story/_/id/8010607/2012-us-open-casey-martin-qualifies-olympic-club-14-years-only-major-appearance-there

UFC’s Nick Ring rushes to rescue of couple being mugged in Calgary – http://tinyurl.com/cnsff89

Bellamy: I should thank Sierra Leone – http://www.fifa.com/newscentre/news/newsid=1641999/index.html?intcmp=newsreader_news_box_1

Events Doing Good:

An exclusive interview with Lord Sebastian Coe
Lord Seb Coe, President of the LOCOG,  speaks to sportanddev about the success of the International Inspiration programme and the economic and social developments in the city of London as a result of the Olympics. http://www.sportanddev.org/en/newsnviews/news/?4508/1/An-exclusive-interview-with-Lord-Sebastian-Coe

Kyle Busch wins Prelude charity race
The race benefited Feed The Children with the net proceeds from the HBO pay-per-view telecast. Feed The Children also will send a food truck to the hometown or a city of choice of the top-10 finishers. The event has raised more than $3.5 million for various charities since its inception in 2005.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2012/06/06/sports/s201838D44.DTL#ixzz1xPFhLr00

Media Doing Good:

“Road to Valor,” the story of Gino Bartali
“Road to Valor” by siblings Aili and Andres McConnon is the inspiring, against-the-odds story of Gino Bartali, the chain-smoking, Chianti-loving, Italian cyclist who made the greatest comeback in Tour de France history by winning the race twice—with a gap of ten years and a World War between victories. Bartali was not simply a cycling hero but also secretly sheltered a family of Jews in an apartment he financed with his cycling winnings during World War II. http://italiancyclingjournal.blogspot.com/2012/06/book-road-to-valor-story-of-gino.html

Kicking and Screening Coming Back to a Theater Near You
Kicking + Screening (K+S) Film Festival, the world’s premier international film event dedicated solely to football/soccer, is returning to New York City this summer. K+S New York 2012 runs from Wednesday, June 27, through Saturday, June 30. For the third year in a row, all films will screen at Tribeca Cinemas in downtown Manhattan. http://kickingandscreening.com/

Organizations Doing Good:

To Fight Cancer, It Takes a Team
Bebe and the Bears found each other through the Friends of Jaclyn foundation, a nonprofit organization that pairs children suffering from brain tumors with teams, primarily college. The charity, with its motto, Live in the moment … Play in the moment, was inspired by Jaclyn Murphy of Hopewell Junction, N.Y., who was nine and a budding lacrosse player when she was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in 2004.  http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1199047/index.htm

Major League baseball players award $150,000 in grants to Volunteers of America programs nationwide that serve those in need
Major League baseball players presented $150,000  in grants from the Major League Baseball Players Trust to six Volunteers of America programs that further the organization’s mission to strengthen communities and build better lives for those in need. More than $1 million has been provided by the Players Trust to 65 Volunteers of America programs since the first grants were presented in 2003.  http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/prnewswire/press_releases/Florida/2012/06/07/DC21067

Landmark Program To Give Fans With Visual Impairments Enhanced Access To MLB.com Continues Expansion
MLBAM has maintained its leadership position among sports and entertainment companies through its continued implementation of technologies to ensure fans with visual impairments have access to online content, features and mobile applications.  http://betanews.com/newswire/2012/06/05/landmark-program-to-give-fans-with-visual-impairments-enhanced-access-to-mlb-com-continues-expansion/

Playtex And The Women’s Sports Foundation Invites Girls And Women To Play It Forward
Playtex is proud to extend its partnership with the Women’s Sports Foundation and celebrate the accomplishments of active girls and women.  As part of the partnership, first initiated in 2011, the Playtex® Sport® brand is donating $150,000 to further the Foundation’s mission of advancing the lives of girls and women through physical activity and sport. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/playtex-and-the-womens-sports-foundation-invites-girls-and-women-to-play-it-forward-156968025.html

Phonak and Special Olympics join forces with US Olympian, former Congressman Jim Ryun
Healthcare outcomes data show that people with intellectual disabilities are historically underserved when it comes to accessing certain basic healthcare needs. Nearly one in three Special Olympics athletes in the United States fail hearing screenings, making them candidates for further evaluation and in many cases, treatment through hearing aids. Unfortunately, many have never had their hearing tested or have been unable to afford hearing aids due to a lack of health insurance or access to care in general. That’s why Ryun (who suffers from hearing loss), Special Olympics and Phonak have joined forces as part of the Healthy Hearing program. http://www.sacbee.com/2012/06/07/4545408/phonak-and-special-olympics-join.html

People Doing Good:

Hitting the Court, With an Ear on the Ball
As blind tennis grows in the United States, where the Census Bureau estimates that 1.8 million people over 15 have “severe difficulty seeing,” it is testing popular notions of the limitations of blindness…Like tennis for sighted people, the game requires speedy court coverage and precise shot-making. Blind players rely on their ears to follow a foam ball filled with ball bearings that rattles when it bounces or is struck. “Your ears have become your eyes,” said Dr. Robert Gotlin, director of orthopedic and sports rehabilitation at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/05/science/a-game-of-tennis-tests-notions-of-blindness.html?_r=1&hp

Former Portland resident spreads joy of One World Futbol, one soccer ball at a time
Sandra Cress dreams of getting virtually indestructible soccer balls into the hands of millions of impoverished kids worldwide. It’s a small step toward enriching a life with the simple joys of play or healing the wounds of a child soldier removed from combat. However, in the year or so the former Portland resident has served as sales director for One World Futbol, the small nonprofit had succeeded mainly in building relationships. Getting the money to buy they balls and get them to children — particularly those in war-torn sub-Saharan African nations — was progressing more slowly. http://www.oregonlive.com/playbooks-profits/index.ssf/2012/06/former_portland_resident_sprea.html

Snoop Dogg, cricket coach
When beasportcampaign.com, a social media initiative, launches today, a visit from you may help underprivileged Indian kids have a ball of a time. For every view on the website, private and corporate donors will add R1 to help generate money to send kids from the city-based NGO, Magic Bus, to play cricket against African-American kids from impoverished areas in Los Angeles. While cricketer Zaheer Khan will coach one team, the other will train with American rapper Snoop Dogg. http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/Tabloid/Zak-vs-Snoop-Dogg/Article1-852487.aspx

‘The Terminator’ cycles 110-mile charity ride
Scott Stretton completed his second mammoth charity bike ride, years after being told he would never walk again. The fitness mad dad, 43, cycled 110 miles from Worksop through Gainsborough and Retford before returning home on the same day – within seven hours. http://www.retfordtoday.co.uk/news/local-news/the-terminator-cycles-110-mile-charity-ride-1-4623475

Rays wives face Marlins wives in charity softball game
While the Rays and Marlins are archenemies on the field during their three Interleague games, the players’ wives came together on Saturday for a good cause. The spouses hosted a Citrus Cup charity softball game at Marlins Park prior to their husbands taking the field. The contest benefited Shake-A-Leg Miami and Autism Speaks Tampa Bay Charter. http://tampabay.rays.mlb.com/cutfour/article.jsp?content_id=33045796&c_id=tb

Teams Doing Good

Miami Dolphins Expose the Dangers of Melanoma Through New National Educational Campaign
The Miami Dolphins and the Melanoma Exposed™ Screen. Protect. Know. Tell. campaign will host two free skin screening events at Sun Life Stadium this year, with the first taking place on Saturday, June 16, 2012, and a second event at the September 16 game against the Oakland Raiders. Melanoma Exposed is a new educational campaign – led by leading melanoma advocacy groups, former pro football Coach Bill Cowher and Bristol-Myers Squibb – to raise awareness of melanoma and its risk factors and to encourage people to get screened. http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/06/06/2835441/miami-dolphins-expose-the-dangers.html

Bucs rescue 2 Tampa youth football teams
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have come through for two youth football teams that had their equipment stolen. On Monday, the Bucs will donate $11,000 to the Highland Pines Cougars and the Carrollwood Cardinals, to replace their stolen gear. http://www.wtsp.com/news/article/258545/8/Bucs-rescue-2-Tampa-youth-football-teams