Philanthropist Ethan Zohn Kicking Off Ironmen Season
December 5, 2008 - Xtreme Soccer League (XSL)
New Jersey Ironmen News Release
Newark, N.J. (Friday, December 5, 2008) - Fresh off a 550-mile soccer dribble from Foxboro to Washington D.C. to raise awareness for AIDS in Africa, philanthropist Ethan Zohn will be coming back through Newark next Sunday to serve as honorary captain of the New Jersey Ironmen for their 2008-09 season opener. Following in the steps of the legendary Brazilian striker Pelé, who served as honorary captain for the 2007 Ironmen home opener, Zohn will deliver the first kick before the second-year club hosts the Chicago Storm at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 14th.
"It was an amazing sense of fulfillment when I crossed the finish line," Zohn commented regarding the 550-mile Grass Root Soccer United Dribble. "We raised a lot of money and awareness for the prevention of AIDS in Africa, and it couldn't have been done without the support of others."
Zohn looked to others for more support than he anticipated after he tore his ACL and meniscus playing in a charity soccer game halfway through his trek. He was still there for every inch of the journey, but he looked to people such as Ironmen Head Coach Omid Namazi, Assistant Coach/midfielder Goran Vasic and forward Adauto Neto to log a few miles with the ball for him. In October the Ironmen worked with the City to close the streets in downtown Newark and knocked a ball around with South Ward Councilman Oscar James and kids from the community for a leg of the 550-mile mission.
"It is so important to recognize the people that took the time to support something I am so passionate about," Zohn remarked about his successful journey, which concluded this past Monday for World AIDS Day in Washington D.C. "It is truly a testament to our organization and to the power of soccer."
World AIDS Day 2008 also marked the official launch of the Football for an HIV-Free Generation (F4) Initiative. Driven by an alliance between Grass Root Soccer, UNAIDS, Coxswain Social Investment Plus, LoveLife, and the African Broadcast Media Partnership Against HIV/AIDS, the initiative taps into excitement around the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup by using soccer as the entry point for an evidence-based strategy that draws on best practice for HIV prevention, youth communication, and sport for development.
After receiving the million-dollar prize for winning Survivor-Africa in 2001, Zohn did the opposite of what drives most people to reality television. He tookhis winnings and co-founded Grass Root Soccer (GRS), a non-profit organization that focuses on worldwide HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness. In Africa professional soccer players are viewed as heroes within their communities, and GRS begins their approach with them. They first train those athletes about HIV/AIDS, and then those players go into the schools in Africa to teach the youth about the lethal disease.
Originally from Lexington, Massachusetts, Zohn has been a true philanthropist in all aspects of his life. In addition to Grass Root Soccer, he has served as a spokesperson for America Scores, an organization that assists urban children in educational soccer programs. His charitable work has also extended into other programs such as Kick AIDS, the Elizabeth Glazer Pediatric Aids organization, YouthAids and the Colon Cancer Alliance.
Zohn was honored as the 2004 Nkosi Johnson Community Spirit Award by the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care, and he was awarded with the 'Heroes Among Us' award by the Boston Celtics and the Massachusetts State Department. He also received the Auxilia Chimuroso award by the U.S. State Department in Zimbabwe.
Aside from his philanthropic work, Zohn has deep soccer roots. He played goalkeeper at Vassar College in New York while acquiring his degree in Biology. He went on to play professionally for the Hawaii Tsunami and the Cape Cod Crusaders of the USL as well as in Zimbabwe for the Highlanders Football Club. He also competed with the U.S. National Maccabiah Team in Israel in both 1997 and 2001.
Zohn spent 1998-2002 as an assistant coach for the Farleigh Dickinson University men's and women's soccer teams. In 2005 he began to co-host the Metro Soccer Report (renamed MSG Soccer Report) on the MSG Network, a weekly show dedicated to the New York Red Bulls. Beginning in April 2006, he started hosting FC Fox on the Fox Soccer Channel.
Xtreme Soccer League Stories from December 5, 2008
- Philanthropist Ethan Zohn Kicking Off Ironmen Season - New Jersey Ironmen
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