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| Thursday September 02, 2010 | Dailycall.com |
| 5/25/2009 8:12:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article |
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| Dr. Andrew Jackson stands among a yard full of soccer balls in front of his Looney Road office. The balls will be given to children in Iraq.
Mike Ullery/Staff Photo |
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Piqua dentist's drive to help kids in Iraq bounces along
Dr. Jackson collects soccer balls to assist serviceman’s project
By Will E Sanders
Staff Writer
PIQUA - Hundreds of Iraqi school children will get a real kick out of the efforts of three local men who all share one common goal: Giving them soccer balls.
Sgt. Clinton Ball, 26, of Dayton, presently home on leave midway through a tour of duty in Iraq, went in for some dental work earlier this year that was performed by Piqua dentist Dr. Andrew Jackson.
Recently, Ball's mother-in-law went in for a checkup and relayed to Jackson that Ball was attempting to get soccer balls that he could give to Iraqi school children that he meets while involved with two Iraqi police departments he is helping to train.
"We've been doing some community policing and we have meant a lot of children that play soccer," the appropriately-named sergeant said. "Those that don't have soccer balls will wrap a shirt with tape and play soccer with it. It's basically what all of these kids play to keep themselves busy. It's something they all enjoy."
Once Jackson was notified of Ball's request two months ago, he began accepting donations of soccer balls at his Piqua office, which is located at 289 Looney Road.
Now, Jackson has accepted more than 250 soccer balls - and the number rises daily.
"The goodwill people have shown has just been unbelievable," Jackson said. "Perfect strangers will walk into the office, drop of a soccer ball and leave without a word."
Two hundred of the balls were donated by Tim Burden of Sidney, who helps run a youth soccer program and Sidney's Mayfest Soccer Tournament. Burden sent notifications to those who planned on attending the tournament this year, and through that was able to get 200 soccer balls for the project.
Burden said he wasn't expecting so many donations, thinking he would receive somewhere between 50 to 75 soccer balls. He said he was surprised when 200 were donated.
"It feels great to be able to do it," Burden said. "We needed to do something to help them."
And what a help Burden has been to the project, the dentist and soldier said.
"He took the ball and ran with it," Jackson said.
Jackson is hosting a barbecue at his office at 6 p.m. Sunday for Ball to wish him a safe tour once he goes back to Iraq in June. All of those who donated a soccer ball are invited to attend, along with anyone else who wants to come and donate a soccer ball.
Soccer ball donations are still be accepted at the office.
For more information, contact Jackson's office at 778-1700.
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