A parent of one of our U16 Hurricanes players is also a teacher at a Vancouver Secondary School. She overheard two new students speaking in Swahili and, only understanding the words Manchester, Arsenal and Liverpool, thought they might be interested in soccer! Both boys arrived recently to Canada after long journeys through a number of African countries.

Ushendi, originally from the Congo, spent six years in Uganda before coming to Canada and Umer, from Ethiopia, arrived in Vancouver after two years in Kenya. These boys, by coincidence, live across the alley from each other. The school wanted to place the boys together on one soccer team because one boy spoke English well but the other not so and relied on his buddy to help with communication.

Funding was arranged for the boys to sign up with a community club but things did not work out and the Hurricanes got involved, invited both boys to a practice and the team was hooked on the newcomers. KLM got their paperwork done in record time and had their cards ready to go so the boys could play their first game on December 5th. The team arranged for missing gear and the manager had the uniforms ready for the boys. When told they could play in the game, you wouldn't believe the smiles. With only ten players on the Hurricane roster, they lost 5 - 4. The amazing thing is Umer scored all four goals! Two boys have breathed life into a team that has been struggling and their presence can hopefully rejuvenate the Hurricanes.

Two young men coming to a new life in a new country feel like they have been welcomed because of our soccer club. They know people care, they feel like they are part of a group and it has been a positive experience all around. Our club knows community sport is about more than soccer and we should all be proud to be part of an organization that knows it's about giving children positive options, guidance and a fun soccer experience.

Good luck Ushendi, Umer and the Hurricanes!