One by One

Our journey around the world continues as we zoom out to the regional level, extending from Canada to the Caribbean.

In the US, we saw the fruition of a three-year partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America in 2012. Amway Positive Sprouts helps teach city children about nutrition through building edible organic gardens. A new kit developed last year will ensure that the program continues to grow.

We also saw the expansion of a partnership with the US Dream Academy, which mentors children whose parents have been incarcerated. Amway invited some lucky Amway Independent Business Owners to Washington DC to learn more about the cause they were supporting and attend the annual gala.

In 2012, we met Jim and Nancy Dornan in Atlanta, Georgia. The Dornans created Network of Caring to help children around the world, including those in power wheelchairs. They have helped scale up Power Soccer to an international sport, and a meaningful community of caring.

One of the biggest stories of the year was reaching the 30-year partnership milestone with Easter Seals. Started originally by Amway, Independent Business Owners have picked up this partnership and made it their own, raising more than $30 million over the years for people with disabilities, through many creative ways of support.

Our team visited the Yager family in Charlotte, North Carolina, where we saw a longstanding commitment from two generations of Amway IBO leaders in helping children with special needs. Amway and its people continued to participate in fundraising walks around the country. We even partnered with Easter Seals centers on the East Coast to help with relief efforts following Superstorm Sandy.

The Easter Seals partnership does not end at the US borders. Amway and IBOs in Canada regularly rappel down skyscrapers to raise money for the cause. Amway Dominican Republic and Amway Puerto Rico also have established partnerships with Easter Seals affiliates to help children with special needs.

And just recently, the US announced an exciting new partnership that will bring the famous “We Day” to this country for the first time, collaborating with Free the Children.

And so the year in North America ended as it began, with a flurry of opportunities and activities that are making a profound difference in communities around us … one by one.

Last week, we saw plenty of basketball, mixed with a little soccer.

Earlier this year, we profiled Power Soccer, played by athletes in power wheelchairs. Power Soccer is not just a game. It creates communities and friendships where they are most needed … as well as creating pure, intense competition.

All of this was on display during the Orlando Magic’s halftime show last Wednesday. While Atlanta and Orlando basketball players rested, Power Soccer players from Atlanta and Central Florida heated up the court with their own demonstration of speed and technique.

Some of Power Soccer’s biggest advocates and champions showed off their skills, including Jerome “Pika” Durand, Jerry Frick and Eric Dornan, along with more of the sport’s best players.

They had the crowd cheering for every near miss, and gasping at every spin kick from the heavy metal chairs.

It seemed to be an incredible experience for the players, and it was certainly a great show for the audience. But at the end of the day, it wasn’t intended for either.

We hope that this exposure will introduce the sport to another person in a power wheelchair who needs an outlet like Power Soccer, and just hasn’t heard about it yet. We want the word to spread.

If you know someone who may be interested in the sport, check out powersoccerusa.org.

Thanks to David Ruelas and RD Saunders for organizing a great Power Soccer demonstration, to JT McWalters and Matthew Keller for being amazing hosts on behalf of the Orlando Magic, and to David Madiol for helping us introduce the sport to the team.

We recently covered the story of Jim and Nancy Dornan, who are among our top Amway distributor leaders and members of the Amway Founders Council.

The Dornans have invested in many great causes for children over the years through their Network of Caring and the Fernando Foundation.

One of the causes closest to their hearts is Power Soccer. Below is a video that tells the story.

How do you bring hope and opportunity to children who are confined to power wheelchairs? How do you empower their parents, who battle emotional and financial stress in raising children with extreme needs?

Last week, we visited Jim and Nancy Dornan, Amway Founders Crown Ambassadors from Atlanta, Georgia. The Dornans have faced these same challenges with their son Eric, who was born with Spina Bifida.

Working with a team of creative and passionate people, the Dornans have invested in a sport that provides an outlet for children and their parents, and builds a network of supportive relationships at the local and global level.

It’s called Power Soccer, and it is easily the largest organized sport for children and adults in power wheelchairs.

Investing in Power Soccer over the past twenty years, the Dornans have helped to grow the sport from around five teams, to more than 60, while building a structured competitive system that is standardized across multiple countries.

The game is customized to allow shots, blocks and passes from power wheelchairs. The chairs are also customized to provide freedom of movement and a fast-paced game that requires incredible spatial awareness and quick responses. There is an incredible amount of team spirit, and quiet communication between teammates.

With support from the Dornans, a dedicated team is elevating the sport through the Fernando Foundtion. It includes Eric Dornan, player and organizer; David Ruelas, Fernando Foundation director and manager of a shop that provides customized wheelchairs and game equipment; Jerry Frick, coach and mentor; and Jerome “Pika” Durand, champion player and Power Soccer spokesperson.

This isn’t the only cause that the Dornans have taken on and grown. They have inspired thousands of child sponsorships through World Vision, built schools and orphanages in Europe, Africa and Asia, and delivered wheelchairs thousands of people around the world who cannot afford them through Free Wheelchair Mission.

Yet it’s evident that Power Soccer is close to their hearts. It serves as a demonstration of their faith and determination to positively impact the world around them.

We will soon share more of this story as part of our exploration of how Amway leaders are investing in causes for children around the world.

Thanks to RD Saunders and Colleen Scott for opening the doors to us on this incredible story.

We’re out of the office today!

Jim and Nancy Dornan are some of our top Amway distributors, reaching the Founders Crown Ambassador level, and serving as part of the Amway Founders Council.

This week, we will visit one of the projects the Dornans and other distributors in the US are supporting called Power Soccer. It provides opportunities for those who are in power wheelchairs to participate in organized sports competition. We will do interviews and take photos, and create a video to tell the story.

This is part of a broader initiative to partner with Amway distributor leaders through the Amway One by One campaign. We’ve already visited programs in Taiwan and Guatemala, and look forward to seeing this program in the US.

Stay tuned for more.