FOUNDER & PRESIDENT I MELISSA
Founder & President, Melissa Graves,
Shares The Mission & Impact Of Play BOLD In An Interview With The Patriot League
STUDENT-ATHLETES I ALEX & ELEAH
Student-Athletes, Alexandra Maund & Eleah Parker,
Reflect On Their Experience With Play BOLD In Kenya.
HOSEA'S HEART CO-FOUNDER | MARY KATE
"The Hosea's Heart family would like to thank the Play BOLD team for their investment in a country & people they committed to before even knowing! What great love!
Thank you for the basketball court, which has provided a lot more than a sport. It has given the girls unity during a time where there was a lot of internal division. I saw girls who don't normally "play together" have great moments of laughter & shared experiences on that court. It has given the girls an outlet for their stress & as well a way to be physically healthy. You will undoubtedly find girls on that court different times throughout every day, starting from sunrise to when the last sun rays go down.
What a gift PlayBold has given. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!"
STUDENT-ATHLETE I KATIE
“'Beyond Ourselves Love Does'. This powerful statement which is the acronym for Play BOLD, is a constant reminder that love is an action. Play BOLD is an organization that seeks to allow student-athletes & coaches to use their time & their talents to go beyond themselves & love others. So in May, 16 athletes & coaches packed our bags & boarded flights for Kenya with one purpose in mind: to put our love into action. But we never imagined that we would’ve instead been so blown away at the love we were shown & the love we experienced during our time in Kenya.
In partnering with Simba Ministry, we were able to visit & spend time at both St. Jacobs Educational Center & the Eldoret Rescue Center, where we were not only welcomed with open arms, but poured into & loved on every second of the day. We met the most amazing children & learned from the inspiring adults who invest in those children every day. While we all left for Kenya thinking about all the ways we could give to these people, I think we all returned being so blown away at how much the people gave to us. The joy and the gratitude among the school & the rescue center is so evident at all times & every person there is the purest example of what love in action truly looks like simply through their hugs & smiles.
During one of the days we spent at the rescue center, I had the opportunity to talk with a girl named Jane & she just absolutely stole my heart. Hearing her stories & learning about her life journey so far was heartbreaking, but seeing the joy she finds in the Lord and the strength she has built by persevering through every trial was so inspiring to me. At the end of our conversation, I asked her what she would do if she could do anything in the world & she told me that she would go to school. I felt like this was God opening a door for me to put my love into action so I decided to sponsor Jane to attend St. Jacob’s School. She will start school this coming December and I cannot wait to see how much she grows in her new home.
I am so thankful for both Play BOLD & Simba Ministry for giving me the opportunity to visit Kenya and meet people who changed my life. It is my sincerest prayer that every person is able to experience the selfless love & vastness of God that our group did during our time there. I fully believe that God is working and will continue to work in incredible ways in the lives of our new family in Kenya and am so hopeful that my path will lead me there once again."