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.

Today I had the very special opportunity to not only take a look what will become the Fair Play for All Foundations new home, I had the chance to help with it’s initial construction. In actuality, it was really more like it’s “deconstruction.” When I was told that the foundation had finally found it’s first physical location after a grueling search for the right place and size, I was more than excited to see it. I was told it needed a lot of work, so I didn’t know what to expect. When I finally had the opening in my training schedule to see it, I set up the time to take a tour and help with it’s initial handy work.

The first time I met the founders of the FFA, Roy and Naomi, I knew they had started something quite special and when I first had the chance to meet the players they “coached,” I knew they were making real changes to the lives of the children in Payatas. From that point, I really wanted to make the effort to help and assist the foundation in any way I could. As I am still learning about what the organization does, what it stands for and who they help, I felt the need to see it for myself and try to absorb more of what the it does.

So my day began by simply having to get to Payatas, which was an adventure in itself. I woke up nice an early and jumped in a cab to the MRT, taking it to North Avenue. This was my very first time taking the train by the way, and the excitement of working commuters overwhelmed the morning travel. The train cars were packed. When I arrived, I jumped into another taxi to St.Peter’s Church to where I met Noami, and we took a Jeepney to the foundations new home.

Before getting to work, Naomi kindly took me on a tour of Payatas showing me the village and the dump site,  as she guided me through the daily happenings of the locals. When we arrived at there, we walked through the gated family-owned property and through the back entrance of the new home. The space opened into a large kitchen, and first floor of the Center to-be seemed quite spacious. We proceeded to the abandoned dimly-light second floor and started to calculate what was to be done for the day.  It was very apparent that there was plenty of work to do, as the space was unoccupied for years and signs of damage, wear, and neglect were evident.

To others, such a daunting task of cleaning up, renovating and rebuilding a home to this extent, might seem impossible and even worthless, but to Naomi and Roy, they saw it’s great potential in becoming a refuge and a relief for broken children in Payatas. For them nothing seemed too daunting or too difficult, in the light of rescuing children from their daily struggles and impoverished conditions. Thier passion, drive, and motivation becomes most powerful when they spoke about their plans for the new drop-in center and it really inspired me.

Today, we purchased a hammer and began the initial demolition and clean up of the second floor. Getting our hands dirty was quite the understatement and I was glad to be a part of every second of it.  I believe we accomplished enough for the future carpenters and cleaning crews to come in and make sound design decisions and take the second step of this process to another level. I am truly excited to help in the next stages and I can not wait to see it’s final product. From the hopes and vision of something special, it is now up to everyone’s efforts to make the dream become a reality.

Please stay tuned for updates on the progress of the New FFA Drop-In Center!

Please be sure to Follow Me on Twitter @LextonMoy to keep undated with all that is going on with the Philippine Azkals, Kaya FC, and my experiences living in Manila and Traveling Asia!