The late, great, magician of the written (and spoken!) word Andrea Gibson has a line I revisit all the time: everyone knows what you’re against; show them what you’re for.

So, here is something I am for. I’m running the New York City Marathon this November, right before my 30th birthday (!), and raising money for Soccer Without Borders — an organization that has shaped how I understand soccer, community, and the kind of world I want to live in.

If you know me, and if you're here, you probably do, you know I’ve been playing soccer forever and ever. I’ve loved it in all its shades, shapes, and forms: the joy, the pettiness, the politics, the beauty, the heartbreak. Along the way, I came to realize repeatedly that it was never really about the soccer. Or, it is about the soccer, but it’s also everything around it. The people, the teams, the miracle of belonging to something and building something together. Team things that make the world go round. 

In 2018, through a grant with UNC, I worked with Soccer Without Borders in East Boston, coaching mostly teenage girls who were navigating life as newcomers to the U.S. The girls I coached spoke different languages, took up jobs after school, cared for siblings, and always carried a whole lot. Every afternoon, we’d get to the field, circle up, check in with each other, and play. For a couple hours, another world would open up. 

That’s what SWB does best! It doesn’t just run soccer programs — it builds spaces where people can exist without having to explain themselves, or prove anything, or shrink. SWB builds spaces that feel like home, with soccer as the centerpiece.

I think about that a lot now in my work with Sons of Pitches FC in Atlanta, especially with our Women’s & Non-Binary league. It is a messy, joyful, hard-earned space where people show up exactly as they are Wednesday in and Wednesday out. Nothing is perfect about it, but it’s real, and we try and try and try, and it matters to people in our community. 

Running a marathon for Soccer Without Borders feels aligned with so much that matters to me. It's a good way to put some muscle behind what I say I care about. 

Here's how you can help:

• Donate: Contribute whatever you can. No amount is too small!
• Spread the Word: Share my fundraising page with your friends, family, and social networks. 

PS - if you donate, I'll write you a poem in thanks and gratitude. 

Your support means the world to me!