Chevrolet India today announced the kick-off of the donation and delivery of 20,000 nearly indestructible One World Futbols to marginalized and underprivileged children in India on the special occasion of Children’s Day, November 14. The unique initiative is aimed at reaching out to the less fortunate children in India, especially those who cannot afford and maintain a football.
“Many of these children are growing up in less privileged circumstances where sometimes a game of football could lighten up their lives by teaching them the true meaning of team spirit and fair play,” said Lowell Paddock, President and Managing Director, GM India.
“The joy that comes from playing football can help lift their spirits and replace despair with hope. Chevrolet’s founding sponsorship of One World Futbol Project is intended to spark a worldwide movement to give children a pathway out of poverty and despair with the benefits that fitness, sport and teamwork can bring – something we call the ‘Power of Play’,” added Paddock.
The unique initiative today kicked off with donation of 91 footballs to Sankalp School in Gurgaon—a school for disadvantaged children run by Gurgaon-based NGO Sankalp Welfare Society. The Chevrolet-branded One World Futbols, delivered to the school in a Chevrolet Enjoy Multi-Purpose Vehicle, brought countless smiles to over 900 children who can now enjoy the game of football as much as they want.
“It’s our pleasure to work with Chevrolet India to support the donation and delivery of One World Futbols — first to Sankalp School and then throughout the rest of India with Slum Soccer,” said Arnold Ambiel, Chief Operating Officer of One World Futbol Project. “The spirit of this joint collaboration will allow us to bring the power of play to more children throughout India than any of us could have done alone. And seeing the joy on the children’s faces on Children’s Day makes all these efforts worthwhile.”
This initiative is part of Chevrolet’s three-year founding sponsorship of One World Futbol Project that pledges to place 1.5 million One World Futbols with youth living in war-stricken zones, refugee camps, disaster areas, and other underprivileged communities around the world. One World Futbol Project makes, sells and distributes the One World Futbol, a nearly indestructible ball that never needs a pump and never goes flat—even when punctured multiple times. The company’s mission is to make a meaningful impact by bringing the joy of soccer and play to youth around the world through the One World Futbol.
To date, more than 500,000 Chevrolet-sponsored One World Futbols have been distributed across five continents, bringing the power of play to over 15 million children.