We grew up in the U.S. where a variety of after-school options were available for aspiring athletes and artists. Each neighborhood had a community center, a boys and girls club, YMCA/YWCA and a number of church sponsored programs available, usually for minimal cost, if not free. Parents in every country want what's best for their children, but in Slovakia, as in many former communist countries, options like this are rare, if they exist at all. GoodSports is working to meet the need.
This is Andy:
His father left the family shortly after he was born because of drug addiction. He’s had multiple stints in jail for drug-related issues. And if that wasn’t bad enough, his uncle killed Andy’s grandfather while on drugs. Andy's mom has raised him as a single parent and is grateful for the opportunity GoodSports provides her son. Andy developed a his natural talent for baseball to the point where he played at the top level for a local baseball club in addition to participating in the GS after-school program. After high school, his English language skills helped him land a job with Johnson Controls in Slovakia. Currently, he's working for JCI in Monterrey, Mexico. Recently, he wrote us his home in Mexico, "...... I missed you so much when I left Slovakia, you can't imagine. I felt I lost part of me when I moved on. I will never forgot about you and the path you showed me, thank you from all my heart. I was bullied when I was young by other kids because we talked a lot and you took care of me and I suffered but overall I didn't do anything bad. I enjoyed every moment and baseball was my life, I loved camps because it was family time I never had,....... It's my time to come clean and show my emotions that I deeply hid from all of you. You will always be in my heart, always." This is why GoodSports exists....., making a difference one "Andy" at a time.
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