Almost a month and a half ago today, Theresa was enjoying the beautiful country of Brazil.During her time she was able to visit the Universidade Federal de Lavras (UFLA), a college located in Lavras, which is 138 miles south of the capital, Belo Horizonte. She was able to meet Professor Fernando who was helping to run a Track and Field program out of the University. Surprisingly, none of the schools have sports programs, so students are picked up by bus and taken to the UFLA sports center. The program is funded by many of the professors at the University, and is geared towards at-risk youth who are typically from extremely poor environments. Some children have even been rescued from child labor situations. Unfortunely, due to funding, professors struggle with acquiring up-to-date equipment for the program, even going as far as to use bamboo for their pole vaults. They are hoping to one day find an organization who is looking to get rid of their old equipment in order to give the kids the quality they deserve.
It is certainly inspiring that there are programs with a vision much like America SCORES in countries all over the world. In giving children the opportunity to succeed, they will excel beyond our expectations.
Check us out later this week for more updates on Theresa's adventure in Brazil...
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