Paraguay changed my life in the best way possible. This was a trip of a lifetime in which I was truly able to discover who I am as a person and what really matters in life. I believe that the girls I met taught me more than I taught them. They were the most patient, caring, and generous people, who showed me that life is about the people you hold close to your heart, not the items.
One of the most rewarding experiences of the trip was when I saw a girl put on my old cleats that I had donated. I saw her face light up with the brightest smile when she realized that they fit. At that moment I knew I had made a difference.
Allie gifting a pair of cleats to a young girl that leaves her heart of the field!
I made one close friend while I was down there, her name is Karen. She showed me that a friendship is not dependent on how long it has been alive but rather the care you put into it. I had only known this incredible girl for a few days and on the day I was leaving she made sure to be at the bus to give me one last hug. That was the moment when she gave me her rosary. She handed it to me and told me to remember her and I hope she knows that I will never forget that moment.
Allie and Karen met on the soccer field. Take a peek at the soccer ball: Allie left her with a gift to remember her.
Everyday I see that rosary and know that it is a reminder of the day my life changed forever and I finally knew my purpose in the world. I want to work to make a difference and change the lives of many people the same way that Karen changed mine. Paraguay is now a country I will forever hold close to my heart. Each moment changed my life forever and opened my eyes to the world around me.
Allie with a young girl in our Paraguayan program. Her new cleats were gifted from a 4th grade girl in the Bay Area.
Allie is an Ambassador for Change Leader with Girls Soccer Worldwide and traveled to Paraguay in 2018. She continues to be involved, sharing her heart in everything we do for our girls in Paraguay. Even though she was unable to travel in 2019, Allie worked on projects alongside our team prior to our trip and stays involved in our fundraising activities in the Bay Area.
Allie will be attending Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University studying Biological Sciences (Genetics, Cell, and Developmental Biology). Looking forward to all the insight she will gift our medical industry with in the future!
Read more on our Girls Soccer Worldwide Ambassador for Change Leadership program.
