Meet the Founders of GFLP
Here at GFLP, we believe in the importance of using one's gifts and talents to help better the world.
We want to take a moment and introduce to you the two founders of our organization: JD and Stephanie Wickham. JD has been an avid fan of soccer as both a player and a coach for most of his life. He has always had a knack of turning the impossible to possible, and as a coach he enjoys the challenges that come from turning a rag tag group of players into professional quality athletes. Ten years ago he went on a short trip to Ghana, Africa and fell in love with the culture and people of the country. The next year, his wife Stephanie was running in step with JD, both seeking ways to help bring hope and joy to the people of the northern region. For the next 9 years they traveled back and forth, learning the hearts and culture of the people, and what they found has changed the way they view everything.
The locals don't need to change to keep up with the world, it was the world that was loosing out on what priceless experiences they had to offer. These were people already wise beyond their years, dedicated, and hard working.
What was missing? Opportunities.
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That is where JD And Stephanie realized they could help change one small village at a time. In 2020 they sold their house and left everything behind, took their two younger kids Faith and Matthew, and moved to a small village far out in the bush of Ghana. There, living with the locals, they started living out their vision of bringing opportunities to a people mostly forgotten.
In Ghana, children are born with a heart for soccer, living and breathing the sport as often as possible. That passion, it never dies. You throw a soccer ball on the field and the whole community comes out to enjoy the game. That was the door that JD would use to present opportunities that they had never imagined. JD recognized the raw talent that sat malnourished on that field, and offered the chance to train coaches and players to better equip themselves with the tools necessary to make it to the top. JD's passion for soccer is helping marry some of the world's best players with success.
Yet JD and Stephanie realized there is an even bigger opportunity being offered for these players, and that was a chance for an education. Education is difficult in Ghana, and most families cannot afford to lose their young ones in sending them off to school when they need them to stay and provide for the family at the farm. But a father is willing to send his little one off for soccer training if there is a chance that they will make it big, and bring some of those rewards back to the family. So it is our goal to take full advantage of that time and offer an education both on, and off, the field.
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While JD conditions the body for soccer, we are working with local schools on providing the training of the mind, which will better equip them for whatever life will bring.
Now Stephanie isn't one to sit on the sideline and watch opportunity pass her by. One of the biggest concerns in every village is the lack of medical care. And that is Stephanie's passion. As a MSN she quickly found ways to provide the basic care that they were in desperate need of.
As Stephanie does triage work as we move about, we have partnered with one small clinic in the bush that we provide medicine and medical supplies to every month. That clinic went from barely functioning to one now that people will travel from all over to seek treatment. Because of that clinic, it has opened up a relationship with the Ghana Health Director who was more than willing to allow us to build a private clinic even further into the bush.
That clinic is currently under construction and moving along at a rapid rate. As JD and Stephanie continue to find unique ways to equip the needs of the people, we know that there will be much more to come here at the GFLP. We hope to tackle these adventures together soon and look forward to hearing from you.
Love is why we do what we do.
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