By Dana Williams
Joining an assembly line to fill backpacks with pencils, pens, rulers, erasers and other school supplies in Howard T. Herber
Middle School, these young volunteers will help improve educational opportunities for underprivileged students in this country and others.
For the second year in a row, members of the Project Helping Others Through Sports Have Outstanding Tomorrows organization - otherwise known as Project Hotshots -
are hosting their annual Backpack Program. By filling and mailing out the backpacks each year, organizers said, they hope to emphasize the importance of education by helping students prepare for the upcoming school year.
"Every student should have the tools he or she needs in order to get a proper education," said Malverne resident John Gotimer, the founder of the organization."
The items that are in these backpacks are small, but they are necessities, and the children who participate really understand what this is all about."
Project Hotshots is a nonprofit global charity that aims to"serve as a conduit for those who wish to share, aid and teach the children and young adults of the world, especially those
most in need of what many others take for granted every day,"
according to its Web site. Gotimer started the organization after he noticed that many children in different areas had a passion for participating in sports but were unable to purchase proper equipment.
"In 2006, I started to make a video called "All Over the World,' which aimed to have young athletes from around the world greet the kids of Malverne," Gotimer explained."
But while I was making the video, I started getting e-mails from coaches and parents who said their kids want to be in the video but some of them are embarrassed because they play barefoot because they can't afford shoes, or the kids are using a trash bag wrapped up in tape as a soccer ball because they can' t afford to get a real soccer ball. I just thought something has to be done about this."
Since its inception in July 2006, Gotimer said, members of Project Hotshots have aimed to help make children' s sports experience safe, fun and educational. The organization now has more than 1,400 members, many of whom participate each month in initiatives such as sending new baseball and soccer equipment, among others, to help kids in and outside the U.S.
"Project Hotshots has given new baseball equipment to Little Leagues in New Orleans and Camden, New Jersey, who didn' t have the money to purchase the equipment," Gotimer said."
People often forget that it is just the little things that can help to keep kids active, healthy and happy."
Last July, the organization held its Backpack Program in the basement of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Malverne, where volunteers filled more than 1,000 backpacks, which were then shipped to countries such as Ghana, the Dominican Republic and Guatemala. This year, members are aiming to fill 5,000 back
packs, to be sent to children in 25 locations including Haiti, Rwanda, Mexico and Las Vegas as well as Freeport, Hempstead and Wyandanch.
"Just about every location will get 200 backpacks," Gotimer said."The kids do all of the work by stuffing the backpacks, and they do it because they really want to help others."
In an effort to build on last year' s success, he said, board members also reached out to families and celebrities across the country to attract more participants."We now have members in 20 different states and we were able to get Tony Danza, Meat Loaf, Shakira, John Elway and Jose Feliciano involved with this year' s program," Gotimer said."
The feeling of good will was really tremendous last year, and we are trying to keep it going and growing."
The July 26 event will take place from noon to 5 p.m. in the middle school gym, and the cost of sponsoring a backpack is $10."It's truly amazing how this effort has helped so many kids in the United States and really across the globe," said resident Mary Stenson, a Project Hotshots board member."
The kids really learn life lessons when they stuff the backpacks and they learn that - even if it' s a small effort - we all have the opportunity to do something to improve our world and make a difference."
For more information, go to projecthotshots.org.
Comments about this story? DWilliams@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 205.
