Garnet Soccer Teams Host Haiti Earthquake Relief Clinic
SWARTHMORE, Pa. - The Swarthmore College men’s and women’s soccer programs collaborated to host the Haiti Earthquake Relief Clinic on Saturday, March 20th at the College’s Clothier Field Stadium. The idea for the clinic, conceived by the two teams in order to benefit the victims of the January 12th Haiti Earthquake, was inspired in part by junior Philippe Celestin, a Swarthmore soccer player of Haitian descent. The clinic was a student-athlete-organized venture, with over 30 men’s and women’s players contributing to its organization and execution.
Over 30 local youth soccer players, ages 5-14, were in attendance. In total, the clinic raised $635 in donations, from families at the clinic as well as from generous donors who could not attend. Notable among these were generous donations from Gwen and Dan Soffer, and from Pat Osowski, a staff member at the College’s Sharples Dining Hall and close friend of Swarthmore soccer. In addition, Swarthmore Borough resident and friend of the Garnet Soccer program Beth DeBruyn baked dozens of cupcakes for sale at the event, the proceeds of which were added to the total.
All of the proceeds from the benefit have been donated to Partners In Health, a worldwide health organization which has operated its Haiti flagship office for over 20 years. Partners In Health has taken a leading role in the relief efforts in Haiti, bringing quality healthcare to earthquake-stricken areas. For more information on Partners In Health and to find out how you can help, go to:
The student-athletes of Swarthmore’s varsity athletics teams are leaders in community service in the Greater Philadelphia region, contributing hundreds of hours of time and thousands of dollars in donations each year to support a variety of causes. In keeping with the Garnet Athletics “philosophy that the intercollegiate athletics experience is integral to the educational mission of the College, and that student athletic experiences contribute to, and benefit from, experiences in the classroom and other extracurricular venues,” the Garnet student-athletes participate in multiple ventures each year to help improve the community in which we live and play. For more on Swarthmore’s athletics community service endeavors, please see: