“Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” — John Wooden

For the last 15+ years I have travelled up to 6 months each year & I have visited 50+ countries. I have met amazing indigenous community leaders leading inspiring & life-changing projects for the young people & families in their communities (life-changing for me & the participants).

Many times I have been overwhelmed by the amount of need &/or opportunity I have witnessed. Too often the massive need left me in shock & paralyzed not knowing how to help & where to begin.

Time & time again I heard local community leaders express the desire simply for more balls & sports equipment: basketballs in Kenya, cricket balls in India & Pakistan, soccer balls throughout Africa, South America & much of the rest of the world.

It took me years to realize the simple & obvious solution to my question of how to help & where to begin: I can help my friends, the community leaders, buy more balls.

I have seen firsthand how a ball can bring people together. I have witnessed lives & communities transformed by the power of sport & the power of play. I have witnessed Muslim, Christian & Hindu children, rich & poor children running, laughing & playing together on the same field, on the same team in India & in South Africa.

I have witnessed nations in turmoil unite behind their national soccer or rugby team. From these experiences came the foundational idea of Ball Project: if children learn to play together when they are young, they are less likely to fight each other as adults.

Since 2006 Ball Project has been helping community leaders buy balls to accomplish our simple mission to help children play.