Brunswick fundraising sends soccer equipment to Africa

BRUNSWICK — Increasing equality of opportunity for young soccer players in West Africa weighs heavily on the mind of 24-year-old former Brunswick resident Lawrence Karpeh. The recent Cleveland State University graduate has organized fundraising for Genesis Soccer Academy in Liberia with a big donation coming from the Brunswick High School soccer community. Contributions among Brunswick coaches and families amounted to 20 soccer balls and 50 equipment bags being delivered to young players at the academy. Late last week, Karpeh sent a thank you email to Brunswick boys soccer coach Ben Dotson. "The kids love them and the entire community thanks you as well. This is truly a blessing to these children and the soccer academy. Coach Ben, your kind generosity is greatly appreciated and will impact the lives of many children for their love of soccer," it read. Karpeh was born in a refugee camp in Ghana after his family fled their native Liberia due to civil war. "Soccer is pretty much the only sport they play (in Liberia) but the problem is they don't pay any attention to the youth," Karpeh said. "They just wait for the kids to get older, pick them, and put them on a team. They don't build anyone up and the kids just play on the streets. Then if they're good a scout comes and takes them to Europe." "I saw a need and wanted to help with it," he added. "I wanted to do something to give back. The kids need equipment. I played organized, youth soccer in the U.S. If these kids just get a little bit of that kind of support they can do so much better. They'll learn team skills and life skills, too." It's estimated that more than 250,000 Liberian residents died while 1million more were displaced during consecutive wars across 1989-2003. Fundraising posts made on Karpeh's Instagram were eventually noticed by Brunswick's Dotson. "To see the kids running around with no equipment in their bare feet, if we were able to give 50 kids a soccer bag and put a smile on their face, it's hard to think of something better than that," Dotson said. "It was just a really cool feeling. To watch the Brunswick "B" over in Africa, that was a really cool thing." "Lawrence is an amazing young man and what he's done here is pretty incredible," he added. "He's the one who deserves way more credit than I do. He's put everything out there on social media and we connected from there." Karpeh is planning another equipment distribution for the academy with a delivery run scheduled for later this year. Those wishing to contribute monetarily can do so at https://gofund.me/925fb5e2. Equipment donations can be made by contacting Karpeh at boloweh99@gmail.com. While living in the Ghana camp, Karpeh's father organized soccer coaching and later an academy for young children, providing guidance and pleasant distraction amid chaotic circumstances. "I think about him doing that and how I've had cleats that I grew out of and how so many people would be happy to have those things," he said. "There's so much stuff we have here that we just don't use and it can be so useful to other people. Things like that can change people's lives in another country. It can open up a whole new world for them." "My dad started the academy and I played with the bare minimum of stuff," Karpeh added. "Then I came to the United States and saw the difference with the equipment and the support. It made things so different for me. Since I experienced both, I wanted to get reestablished in Liberia, to get that support to them." Brunswick residents Adam and Maureen Meidenbauer welcomed Karpeh into their home while he attended and played soccer at St. Ignatius High School from 2011-15. His parents also now reside in the U.S., the father nearby in Ohio and mother in Philadelphia. Upon receiving his college degree earlier this year, Karpeh accepted a position with the Cleveland Force Soccer Club's beginners program. Coaching duties have included work this summer with young refugee children, bringing Karpeh's harrowing journey full circle. "We're working with refugee response this summer and I often work with the youngest kids, pretty much wherever they need help," he said. "It's what I've always wanted to do and now I'm doing it. I've been on both sides of the situation and I want to make sure they're taken care of." Contact reporter Jonathan Delozier at (330) 721-4050 or jdelozier@medina-gazette.com.