The Jewel in the Crown
Eyal Ben Baruch, a soccer player, coach and physical education teacher, has been working during the past few years as a coordinator of "Fair Chance for Children's northern sports program."Working with children in residential group homes is not only earning money", says Eyal, "it is a true calling". This is his story.
"I have meet Noy five years ago. She was a tall, thin girl with a strong build. She caught my eye immediately at a soccer practice for a group of boys in the group care residence. Noy, who had grown up for years in the group home, was introverted and rebellious, and it was difficult to make any contact with her. However, professionally, she stood out ahead of all of them. I understood that I had here a diamond in the rough which needed polishing. For three full years I trained her together with the boys. At the beginning she was suspicious and did not let me come close into her territory. Then slowly, because I was a soccer player in the past, she gradually opened up to me and understood with her sharp senses that I could be for her a jumping board into her future. Soccer became her dream.
In the meantime we trained within the framework of the group home, and we also had individual training sessions. I waited patiently for her to reach an age when she could be placed in a national league soccer team for girls. This moment arrived. When she became 15 years old, I accompanied her to the first girl's league of "Beit Shean". She was accepted by the group, and, of course, excelled. Her potential was immediately recognized, and the word reached the coach of Israel's Olympic group, Yosi Sofer. She was invited for testing as he understood that here was the "Jewel in the Crown". At the same time, the leading teams from Holon, Tel Aviv and Hedera began to run after her, choosing Hedera because of its proximity to her residential group home. I worked out her contract with the coach, taking care of all the professional and technical issues: how she would travel, who would accompany her. After all, we were talking about "my girl", the nestling who was leaving the nest. It was decided that she would have four training sessions a week. These sessions were difficult and exhausting. They included long hours of traveling - I am not sure I could have handled it myself.
Noy today is 16 years old. She is smiling, open, has self confidence about her own strength and abilities. Her grades at school greatly improved and she is admired by the children in the group home who are proud of her accomplishments. I am proud of "my girl", who has become an opening player in Israel's Olympic soccer team and who has made a place of honor for herself among her teammates. She participates in all the soccer tournaments around the country and abroad, and her place is secure in the years to come".
"Way above that"
At a meeting of the sports coaches that take place from time to time on Fridays at the office of "Fair Chance for Children", Eyal Ben Baruch received an urgent phone call from Ziva (fabricated name), a girl from the residential group home where he works. She had arrived at her family's home for Shabbat and she discovered that there was nothing to eat. Eyal's reaction was immediate. He was deeply disturbed by what she said and he began to help in his unique way. He called some friends of his who owned businesses in the city and he organized for the child and for her family food packages for Shabbat.
|
|
|
|
