Tag Archives: Holidays

by | December 16, 2011 · 3:50 pm

Support PPI This Holiday Season: Special Deals Via KarmaWell, Altruette Charms, GlobalGiving and Recoup

PPI has partnered up with some really cool companies to turn your online holiday purchases into support for our basketball and peacebuilding activities around the world:

PPI has teamed up with KarmaWell to help introduce its ShopWell Tool: an add it, forget it & donate tool that installs quickly in your browser. Once installed, just visit any 650+ KarmaWell online retailers (like Target, Best Buy, Hotwire, Walmart, Staples, Groupon) and a percentage of the products and services you buy are automatically turned into charitable donations for us.

The Altruette concept couldn’t be simpler: 50% of the net profit from the sale of their basketball charms goes to PPI! Beyond financial support, wearing your Altruette bracelet serves another important purpose: it helps spread the word about our cause! All of the charms are made in the U.S.A and are handcrafted from 100% recycled sterling silver and 14K gold.

In October, PPI raised more than $1,000 on GlobalGiving’s Matching Day. During the holidays, you can also support PPI’s projects via the Tribute Card Campaign when $10,000 in bonus awards will be given to the top 15 projects with the most individual donors who make donations in honor of someone else.

With Recoup, select PPI as your charity, buy a daily deal, like discounted meals at restaurants or trendy accessories, and a portion of your purchase will be donated to us! For example, they recently offered $20 off Seamless and $12 filtering water bottles from Hydros.

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by | December 8, 2010 · 1:51 pm

Jingle Ball, Jingle Ball, Jingle All the Way…

On Saturday, December 4, PPI-NI hosted its annual Jingle Ball basketball tournament for 9-13 year olds at Stranmillis College in Belfast. Participants enjoyed a day of basketball matches and team-building exercises on integrated teams, coached by PPI-NI staff members, local coaches and volunteers.

Approximately 180 children attended the tournament, with most participants coming from PPI-NI’s twinning program. We also had about a dozen Cross-Community League participants (14 – 16 year olds) volunteer as coaches, referees, and score keepers – including Coaches Lauren Bracken and Joe Fitzpatrick, who coached their teams to victory in the finals!

Other highlights of the day included a creative Grinch-themed skit by Coaches Rory O’Neil, Darryl Petticrew, Dean Polly and Declan Polly, some great music by DJ Topper, and of course, the many new friendships that were formed amidst the spirited cheering, jump shots and high fives!

Lastly, we’d like to thank the Belfast City Council’s Anti-Social Behavior Unit for their generous funding and ongoing support!

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by | November 26, 2010 · 3:51 pm

Happy Thanksgiving from PeacePlayers-Cyprus

Today, PPI Fellow Adam Hirsh explains how he and his colleague shared an American tradition with their Cypriot friends and colleagues.

PeacePlayers-Cyprus Fellows, coaches and board members about to enjoy a Thanksgiving feast

The first Thanksgiving happened in 1621 in Plymouth, Massachusetts, after a good harvest brought the Pilgrims and Native Americans together to enjoy a feast in peace. Now, Thanksgiving is one of America’s most popular holidays, with turkey and football bringing families across the country together to enjoy the special day. Yesterday, two American PPI Fellows, Gunnar and myself, brought the tradition of Thanksgiving to Cyprus.

Gunnar making magic happen in the kitchen

With little cooking experience to fall back on, we decided that we would go all out throwing a thanksgiving meal for all of the PPI-CY board members, coaches, and their husbands and wives. After ordering a 6 kilo turkey, we needed to decide the sides. I began watching Martha Sterwart videos on YouTube to get some inspiration, while Gunnar skyped his family back home to get the family recipes.

Marina and I discussing how much olive oil to use

Then the day came. It began with several hectic trips to the market. In our apartment and at Marina’s house we began cooking. First Gunnar covered the entire turkey in yogurt, a Hagstrom family tradition. Afterwards we placed it in the oven, and the madness began. We cooked green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, corn bread, banana bread and of course stuffing.

The Turkey

Finally the night came and all the guests started to arrive with wine and cakes. But before the feast could begin, we were asked to explain the holiday to the Cypriots as best we could: “Something about the pilgrims coming over on the Mayflower, oh no wait, not the Mayflower, it was another boat. Anyways they came in the 1700’s, I mean the 1600’s, and landed in Virginia, I mean Massachusetts. Anyways it was about religious freedom and now everyone in America eats turkey with their families.”

PPI-CY Board member Tarik helping himself to some veggies

After some laughing and lots of wine, everyone sat down together and ate. As I looked around the table I saw Turkish-Cypriots and Greek-Cypriots, the backbone of PeacePlayers-Cyprus, all sitting and eating together, discussing and laughing about the similarities and differences between their cultures.

Gunnar and I trying to break the wishbone.

Even though I was far away from my home in San Francisco, I was eating with my Cypriot family, full of many unique characters to write home about. It was a very special night that I will never forget. So from everyone at PeacePlayers-Cyprus, have a happy Thanksgiving!

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by | April 27, 2010 · 12:58 pm

PeacePlayers International – South Africa celebrates Freedom Day

On "Freedom Day," April 27th, South Africa celebrates its rebirth as a multiracial democracy.

Every summer, the day I look forward to most is July 4th.  My day is spent hanging with family and friends on the beach, watching baseball, barbequing – all capped off with a great fireworks display.  But I rarely ever think what the day is truly about.  In fact, I never call the day Independence Day, rather always just July 4th.

Freedom Day in South Africa is celebrated for many of the same reasons the US celebrates Independence Day.  On April 27th, 1994, South Africa began as a new democracy and held its first ever election where all citizens over the age of 18 were allowed to vote.  The election marked the start of a new regime as Nelson Mandela became President and the apartheid period ended.

At the annual City-Wide Tournament, PPI - SA brings together children from across the Durban area of all races and colors to play together and improve their futures.

While PPI-SA has developed its curriculum to confront the most pressing issues that South African youth face, namely HIV/AIDS education and prevention, its original purpose was to bridge post-apartheid racial divides.  This is a critical component that we have not forgotten and will be on display during our next City-Wide Tournament.  The City-Wide will bring together over 1,000 kids from over 50 primary and secondary schools.  Based on PPI’s mantra that kids who learn to play together can learn to live together, PPI-SA will be creating mixed teams to compete for the City Wide championship.  The day will be a celebration of basketball, sport for good, and hopefully a few new friends.

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by | January 20, 2010 · 9:43 pm

A Look Back at the PPI – ME “Holiday Happening”

Some young PPI-ME players enjoying a little holiday cheer.

In December 2009, PPI – ME held its annual Holiday Tournament at the Hand in Hand School in Jerusalem. The event, which brought together athletes and coaches from PPI – ME areas such as Beit Safafa, Esawiah, Katamon, Keshet School, Leyada High School and Jaffa, served to celebrate and educate youth about three major holidays that occur each winter – Eid Al-Adha, Hanukkah and Christmas.

The LDP team that made the event a possibility.

The “Holiday Happening” was particularly special this year because it was run by members of PPI – ME’s Leadership Development Program (LDP). After decorating the gym the evening before and receiving instructions from Basketball Operations Manager Vito Gillic’, the LDP team managed the event stations, kept the clock, and handed out prizes and food. While LDP athletes all regularly volunteer as assistant coaches in their local communities, the tournament allowed them to gain additional experience planning and executing a large-scale event. The 2009 “Holiday Happening” thus represented both a stepping stone in the development of LDP, as well as a chance for youth from many different  PPI – ME communities to get together and have fun!

Check out the slideshow below for a closer look at the 2009 “Holiday Happening”:

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by | December 31, 2009 · 7:51 pm

It’s Not Too Late!

You still have time to donate to PeacePlayers International in 2009. Our secure online platform processes donations 24/7, so just click here or on the picture below to do your part to make this a more peaceful world through basketball.

P.S. Need a late holiday gift for your favorite hoops junkie? Consider making a contribution to PeacePlayers International. Leave us their email in the “Comments” section of the donation page, and we’ll notify them ASAP, including the picture above, so that they can see the change they’ve inspired.

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by | December 28, 2009 · 9:48 am

Photos from PeacePlayers International – Middle East’s Holiday Twinning

Happy Holidays from PPI - ME!

PPI received a preliminary update from its team in the Middle East this weekend about its annual Holiday Twinning. Earlier, we spotlighted the many different traditions celebrated in Israel and the West Bank over the holidays – the Holiday Twinning is one of our own. We’ll have a full update available later in the week, but first, be sure to check out the full photo gallery!

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