This is the exciting update for the Fair Play for All Foundation. Just a couple months ago, the foundation celebrated their one year anniversary. The celebration included the long awaited official opening of the new drop in center located in the heart of Payatas and home to Payatas FC and the FFA.
I was honored to be given the opportunity to experience and be apart of the opening ceremony. Much like opening ceremonies in businesses and companies, the day represented the official start to a new beginning and a true first step forward. Though Roy and Naomi’s hard work, dedication and persistence had started long before the opening, this day was a special moment to everyone involved. It signified the birth date of their vision already in motion and their mission already making progress.
For me, it was a true privilege to experience the day that included an award ceremony for the players of Payatas FC for their performance and commitment to the sport and to their team. The feeling of camaraderie and teamwork that united an entire community truly filled every moment. It was also nice to play in a little friendly match between myself teamed up with Nate Burkey versus the Payatas FC kids. We even lost to little developing players, who displayed wonderful skills and fierce determination.
The ribbon cutting for me truly made me feel a sense of pride and appreciation for what Roy and Naomi have done. It made me realize their willingness to share such a significant day with others. They reminded me that such a momentous ceremony for the drop in center was just a small piece to the work they do. It showed us all that the center will remain only a physical structure that is incomparable to its meaning. To them both, the kids of Payatas, and the entire community the safety, the education and the care they provide will remain at the very core, and no ceremony can ever outshine their sweat and tears poured into their work.
Check out the Fair Play For All Foundations News Letter below and Stay connected with all that is going on with their organization.
At the moment Naomi Tomlinson has been nominated for the UK’s “Charity Women of the Year” Award for her work with Tripple E, the Fair Play For All Foundation and Payatas FC. Please stayed tuned for more on her amazing journey.


Last weekend I was invited to visit Smokey Mountain. For those of you who are not so familiar with Smokey Mountain, it is Manila’s largest dump site consisting of over 2 million tons of rubbish. It’s name was derived from the fires created from decomposing waste, making it one of the world’s most volatile garbage dump sites. For the normal citizens of Manila this dump site is a necessary function of society which gives the city an outlet for its waste and garbage, but for the 30,000 people who inhabit the horrific spaces in and around the dump site, it is called home.
Only after my senses had neutralized and the realization of the situation had subsided, was I able to regroup and focus on the day ahead. I was introduced to Dominic Uy, former PBA star, current sports commentator and one of the founders of Mighty Sports and I was explained the fun filled day to come. Several months back, Dominic and Mighty Sports had came to Smokey Mountain to repaired a Basketball Court. With it’s mission to enrich the live of those less fortunate through sports, Mighty Sports saw the important role that such a basketball court would play in a community built upon a pile of trash. With activities that could teach, challenge and motivate the community, the organization created a place where people could escape the harsh realities of life. Upon completion of the court’s restoration it has been reported that more people played basketball and soccer throughout the day and it is said that crime amongst community had dramatically went down.
From September 19-24th the I Can Serve Foundation held a football invitational tournament to raise breast cancer awareness. The three teams selected to play in the charity showdown included Global FC, Kaya FA and the Philippine Azkals. There was much hype around the fixtures as Team Azkals finished their most successful World Cup Qualifying run in the county’s history and both, Kaya and Global had been preparing for the upcoming UFL Cup. With the excitement around the highly anticipated match ups, it was easy for fans to see the invitational as a Kick-off competition to the new UFL Cup and League Season. But to recap and bring things back to perspective, the round-robin style tournament was a friendly showcase for a very important foundation: The I Can Serve Foundation.
This past Saturday, teammate Nate Burkey, member of the Philippine Azkals and I had the most wonderful soccer experience, that truly brought us back to some great childhood memories. August 20th marked the opening competition for an unlikely group of footballers here in Manila. For the past six months a group of children from Payatas, Manila’s lastest garbage dump site, have been meeting once a week to do something most normal kids take for granted. For the children of Payatas, education, health, hygene, and support are scarce and many look to the darker sides of life to find drug induced glimpses of joy. Each week they are given the oppurtunity to meet in a safe enviorment where the harsh daily grind of scavenging acres of rubbish seemingly disapears for at least a couple hours, and the joys of being children again comes to visit them in the form of a Soccer Ball. The love, support and care provided to the small percentage of Payatas children come from a group of passionate people that formed the Fair Play For All Foundation (FFA).
Recently, I had the great opportunity to participate in an amazing charity run. When I was in High School I was first introduced to a wonderful nonprofit organization called God’s Love We Deliver. Not knowing much about seeking volunteer work and new to different opportunity available in the city, I was excited to get started. The first projects involved decorating holiday food “bags” used in the distribution of food to people who are too sick to cook. At that time, I understood that people were given meal and that our decorated bags would give them a sense of personal connection to the food they were receiving as apposed to the anonymous plain white bags. Although decorating bags was a good introduction to the organization, I felt there was more to do. Soon, I found myself preparing food and helping with morning pack-outs. I ultimately felt closer and more connected with the service being provided, being on location and feeling the energy and the passion God’s Love staff and volunteers had to offer. To me it a one step closer to the great mission of the foundation: To improve the health and well-being of men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other serious illnesses by alleviating hunger and malnutrition.
When I found out that I would be in the country for the annual Race to Deliver, I knew I had another chance to be a part of sharing and spreading the organization’s mission alongside thousand of other passionate staff, volunteers, supporters and new supporters. This year, I wanted my family to get involved as well, so I recruited my parents to join in the fabulous run/walk/stroll through New York’s Central Park. The 4mile course proved to be a great family event; excited men, women and children united to raise money and more importantly raise awareness for such a great organization.
Spirrsblog.com Recap Oct 23, 2010










