TAMPA, Fla. — With all due respect to Team USA, the Women’s World Cup win was not the biggest soccer story of 2019. Not to me, at least. Nope. The biggest Earth-changing soccer moment of 2019 came courtesy of a Tampa Prep junior named Jordan Peloubet.
I heard about Jordan’s dream of building a soccer field in Africa. That is not what most high school kids are worried about. I thought he’d be an interesting teen to get to know. So, on March 4, I went to campus to meet him.
He told me about his goal to build a soccer field in Tanzania near his home village. Jordan grew up playing soccer in Africa before being adopted by parents from Tampa. At the time of our chat, he had collected $17,000. By November, he had more than $124,000.
Jordan flew back to Arusha, Tanzania the week before Thanksgiving to dedicate the field he helped build. Hundreds were there to say thank you. The folks of Tanzania even painted a mural of the teenager.
“Yes! I was so surprised. It’s so awesome,” he said in a text after his trip.
Many kids have grown up kicking balled up plastic bags for a soccer ball on dusty field in Africa for entertainment. Not in Tanzania because of Jordan. The kids in Arusha won’t have to because of the Tampa teen with a heart the size of Africa.
Jordan was given the Youth In Philanthropy award in November 2019 for his work in Africa.
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