Diego Gutierrez Named 2007 MLS Team Humanitarian of the Year!

As the year comes to a close, we take a moment to honor Diego Gutierrez of the Chicago Fire and all of the 2007 MLS Team Humanitarian of the Year honorees.

HUMANITARIAN OF THE YEAR WINNER!
Diego Gutierrez – Midfielder
Chicago Fire

Diego Gutierrez stands out as one of the most compassionate and passionate players since the inaugural MLS season. Diego supports over half dozen organizations on a national, regional and local level, collectively helping raise over one million dollars for worthy causes in 2007 alone.

This past year, Diego has played a very active leadership role serving as a National Spokesperson for the Nothing But Nets campaign. Working together with MLS W.O.R.K.S, the United Nations Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Fire Works For Kids Foundation, and other local Chicago sports, civic and faith based organizations, Diego has formed his own Nothing But Nets fund raising team to raise money to fight Malaria in Africa. In 2007, “Team Diego” developed a PSA and has helped raise over $400,000 to purchase insecticide-treated bed nets which protect children and adults while they sleep and help reduce the staggering number of deaths each day due to the Malaria outbreak in Africa. Every 30 seconds someone dies due to the effects of Malaria. Diego’s efforts are helping reduce those numbers. Due to his efforts, Diego joined Commissioner Don Garber and both represented the Fire and MLS at the White House this past spring and as a result of his work and the work of MLS WORKS in this area.

On July 1, prior to a Chicago Fire game at TOYOTA PARK, he represented the Fire as the partnership between MLS W.O.R.K.S and Nothing But Nets was publicly and officially launched. Diego also accepted an invitation from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to appear in October to speak at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Malaria Forum in Seattle, Washington.

Additionally, he is a board member of the Fire Works For Kids Foundation, the charitable arm of the Chicago Fire Soccer team and supports the community outreach programs of the Chicago Fire through his involvement in school assemblies which focus on Tobacco Prevention and Asthma Awareness. He supports his children’s youth soccer programs and is assisting in the building of a new school for children in his neighborhood, as the current school was closed due to flood damage.

He supports local Chicago organizations such as the SALUTE program of the Rehab Institute of Chicago, SALUTE, Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing awareness and support of issues facing active military personnel, veterans and their families and to provide financial support through advocacy and fundraising. Among other involvement, In 2007 he lent his support to annual SALUTE 5K run during the Memorial Day Holiday helping raise significant funds and awareness for SALUTE.

Furthermore, in his hometown of Lake Zurich, Ill., he provided support to the Foglia YMCA “Kids Need Heroes” program with assisted the YMCA raise over $275,000 to help offset costs of membership and program fees for those less fortunate. Additionally, through the Lake County YMCA’s and the Boys and Girls Club of America’s “Dare to Dream” programs, Diego represents the Fire and serves as a motivational speaker for the program.

Diego has been recognized by the Changing Worlds organization as a positive role model for other immigrants. He was selected by the Department of Naturalization to give the keynote speech at his own citizenship ceremony and supports dozens of community and church groups through motivational speeches at local, state and regional gatherings.

Diego accepted an invitation from Governor of Illinois to represent the Chicago Fire and help open a new stretch the I-355 toll way connecting the Chicagoland north and south suburbs in November. 

Brad Guzan – Goalkeeper
Chivas USA

Through his concern for the welfare of the community, Brad Guzan has been featured in a PSA with the American Red Cross. The announcement encourages Latinos to donate blood and save lives. In addition, Brad was featured in a PSA with the American Cancer Society. The announcement promotes the awareness of cancer as a major health problem. In his partnership with AbilityFirst, Brad is committed to helping children with disabilities.

Bouna Coundoul - Goalkeeper
Colorado Rapids

Dakar, Senegal native and Colorado Rapid’s goalkeeper, Bouna Coundoul, has quickly become a success within the Rapids Organization and within the community. While the 6’2 keeper is predominantly known for his super-man like playing abilities in net, he’s also making a name for himself off the field. Recently, Bouna led the team in community involvement and appearances.

One of the community projects Bouna is currently involved with is Soccer Dreams Without Borders (SDWB). SDWB started as one of the Evergreen (CO) family’s desire to help others, and has since transpired into an international effort to bring soccer and opportunity to impoverished African villages. SDWB is a Colorado-based organization committed to providing educational opportunities to African children who are living on the street, living with life threatening diseases, have parents who are dying of HIV/AIDS or orphaned. In connection with Fountain of Hope, a home for children living on the street in Lusaka, Zambia, Africa, SDWB has promoted educational successes within Zambia by providing soccer equipment for achieving students.

Danny O’Rourke - Midfielder
Columbus Crew

Midfielder Danny O'Rourke has been a visible community ambassador for the Crew and Major League Soccer, after returning to his hometown for his third professional season, giving freely of his time to make public appearances and lending his name and image to support worthy causes. A native of Worthington, Ohio, the former Hermann Trophy winner and two-time national champion at Indiana University returned to Columbus after a season each in San Jose and New York.

In addition to being one of the club’s most tenacious players on the field and most positive and reliable representatives off it, O'Rourke has volunteered to serve as an Athlete Ambassador for Right To Play. Alongside MLS W.O.R.K.S. and adidas, O’Rourke is helping Right To Play raise awareness and funds to help children in the world’s most disadvantaged places – utilizing sport as an innovative tool for addressing critical development issues, such as the lack of basic education and health information and the impact of conflict. His active involvement in his community has seen him visit periodically with pediatric hospital patients, school children and a host of other youth agencies and organizations. He also participated in Public Service Announcements for the City of Columbus’ Keep Columbus Beautiful program, highlighting the Crew's annual neighborhood cleanup, and the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio and Mayor’s Office, encouraging recycling.

Particularly inspiring has been O'Rourke's passionate involvement in, and support of, the Connor Senn Memorial Match and Scholarship Fund, which added another layer to the Crew organization's longstanding commitment to that cause. The Crew has played the Ohio State University men’s soccer team in an exhibition match every spring since 2002 to raise funds for a scholarship fund honoring the memory of Senn, a former Buckeye who collapsed on the field during at game in 2001 and died later that night from a congenital heart defect. O'Rourke was a childhood friend and club soccer teammate of Senn's and he wore Connor’s No. 22 and the name “SENN” on his Crew jersey in his honor in this year’s game. O'Rourke then donated the jersey to the silent auction, which – along with corporate sponsors and a record crowd of 2,053 – helped generate record proceeds of approximately $23,000. O’Rourke was recently featured in a university-produced vignette highlighting the Connor Senn Memorial Match and Scholarship Fund that will be shown in Ohio Stadium during Ohio State football game(s) this season.

Bobby Rhine – Midfielder
Dallas FC

Bobby Rhine is always looking for opportunities to help out in the Dallas community. In June of 2007, Rhine donated soccer balls, shirts, shorts and socks to the U-15 Iraq Youth National Team, which was in need of soccer gear. Through coaching, Rhine met a boy whose father is from Iraq, and when the Iraqi team played in the 2006 Dallas Cup at Pizza Hut Park, the father made contacts with the team. When Rhine learned that the team was in need of soccer gear, Rhine took it upon himself to provide soccer balls and outfit the entire team.

Bobby Boswell - Defender
D.C. United

One of the best young defenders in the U.S., Bobby Boswell has continued, this season, the commitment he made to serving the community during his rookie season as a member of D.C. United. So dedicated was he from the very beginning, that he was named the club’s Humanitarian of the Year following both his rookie and second season.  Outside recognition for his community work continued this year, when DC SCORES named Boswell the inaugural Community Outreach Award Recipient, an honor bestowed each year to an individual who has had a positive impact on the DC community and who bridges academics with athletics, entertainment or the arts.

In 2007, Boswell struck out on his own to create programming that would allow him great opportunities to give back to the community around him, launching his own community-focused program via his personal website. The defender’s year began by taking part in the Heart of America’s Sweet Charity, an event that helped provide over 50,000 new books to children in the D.C. region. His involvement in Sweet Charity resulted in the club’s non-profit arm, United for D.C., being able to provide an additional six books per year to each child from its four adopted D.C. schools – an increase of three books a year to nine.

Prior to this year’s season, Boswell also introduced ‘Bobby’s Bunch.’ The initiative provides four front row tickets to a United home game, the opportunity to tailgate with the club’s supporters groups, an autographed ball from Boswell and a visit from him post-game. The program was created specifically to reward those who have done a particular amount of good in their community, to provide the opportunity to those who might not have the financial means to do so or to those who have shown great strength in overcoming hardship. Boswell chooses a different group of four via a nomination process on his website.

A team player, Boswell is also a regular participant in United-sponsored charity events, making the most of each opportunity.  He is a fixture in United for D.C.’s literacy-centered program, United Reads, reading to students at area schools and visiting patients at United Reads Reading Corners in local health centers.  Boswell also continued his commitment this year with organizations that he first worked with during his rookie season two years ago. He visited the Special Olympics earlier this year as a special guest and also spent time with the Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind, where he helps teach kids soccer skills and life lessons.

During a recent appearance at Children’s National Medical Center, he met Mason Leach, a local five-year old suffering from cancer. Boswell went beyond a hospital visit with the soccer-loving Mason (and his older brother Mateo) and has joined the family often for a movie or dinner and has frequently had the family out to D.C. United games as his personal guest. If you walk down the hall of Children's National Medical Center, you will notice Mason Leach on the "Wall of Fame."  If you were to read Mason's bio, you would see that his favorite moment came when Boswell visited him while he was a patient there. Mason and his family were the very first family to take part in Bobby’s Bunch, attending United’s home opener on April 14.

Craig Waibel – Defender
Houston Dynamo

Craig Waibel would feel a little sheepish about being touted for a Humanitarian Award.  As Craig says, “It’s about the kids.”

As one the U.S. Soccer Foundation's Passback Spokesman, Waibel has made an impact on numerous youth throughout the Houston community. One kid in particular could probably speak enthusiastically for countless others about Craig Waibel’s caring spirit and selflessness. 14-year-old Nick Dozie met Waibel at Texas Children’s Hospital last year. Waibel says he was inspired by Dozie’s attitude in the midst of fighting lymphoma. The two have become friends and Waibel reports that Nick, after a bone marrow transplant, is getting better.

To Waibel, Dozie is one of hundreds of patients the Dynamo defender will visit this season. To the youngster, Waibel is a singular hero.

Waibel breaks the rules. Don’t punish Craig for this, though. Not only is he a softie for showing up at children’s fundraising causes on game days, he can be a little obsessive about it. When a group trying to raise awareness to fund a new soccer field set their date for a public campaign on a Saturday, just a few hours before the Dynamo was to play the New England Revolution at home, Craig asked for directions. On a sweltering May afternoon, Craig visited with members of the neighborhood, joked with kids and juggled soccer balls before heading to his duties on the Dynamo pitch.

Waibel’s new mission spreads overseas.  Craig will soon spearhead a mission to ship equipment and boots to kids in South Africa.  The effort came after Waibel and his wife toured the country last year. Craig was “overwhelmed” by what he saw. “Most of the kids there have never played soccer with shoes,” says Waibel. “I want to help.” Game day, or not.

Jose Luis Burciaga – Defender
Kansas City Wizards

Kansas City Wizards defender Jose Luis Burciaga Jr. has been a stand-up community presence since he joined the Wizards in 2001, but his efforts during the 2007 season have surpassed anything previously accomplished by the native Texan.

Over an August bye weekend, Burciaga ran a clinic in New Orleans in association with the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s Passback program. The clinic, attended by local kids, was designed to teach soccer to underprivileged children ages 6-16 in New Orleans. Burciaga was the only MLS player present, as volunteers from the U.S. Soccer Foundation, Western Union and area youth coaches assisted with the program. 

"Doing something like this is good for the league and it's good for the Kansas City Wizards," said Burciaga. "That's something we in MLS do a great job of. We don't just play soccer, we do a good job of getting out in the community and giving back. That's something I try to do often."

During the 2007 season, Burciaga had a strong presence in the community through the foundation he started and designed as a way of encouraging young people to stay in school and use athletics as a positive force under difficult circumstances.

Further expanding his presence in Kansas City, Burciaga works with the Guadalupe Center in Kansas City, Kansas. The Guadalupe Center is a community center in the heart of Kansas City’s Latino core that provides services ranging from after school youth programming to cultural enrichment classes for the elderly. It is one of the oldest social service organizations in the country geared toward the Hispanic community and has been one of Burciaga’s favorite vehicles for reaching out to the citizens of Kansas City. He has made numerous visits throughout his career with the Wizards. 

Landon – Forward Donovan
Los Angeles Galaxy

Landon Donovan is actively involved with the team and Galaxy Foundation's off field community endeavors including the “Foundations’ Feast,” where Donovan, along with other members of the Galaxy, served Thanksgiving meals to 200 kids and families in need. In December 2006, Donovan was a part of the Galaxy Foundation's Build-A-Bear event and helped build and then deliver 100 Soccer Santa Bears to kids at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

Also during the holiday season, Donovan participated in the Galaxy Foundation’s 7th Annual Holiday Assist Program, where 50 underprivileged children were treated to a $100 shopping spree and holiday party. Donovan and teammate Quavas Kirk participated in FOX 11's “Wednesday’s Child” segment with Christine Devine in May. Wednesday's Child profiles children looking for loving families to call their own, and Donovan and Kirk, spent time and taught a series of soccer skills to one such young boy who was awaiting adoption.

In addition, Donovan demonstrated outstanding involvement during the 2007 MLS season in all Galaxy outreach, grassroots, and soccer programs as well as the charitable endeavors done in conjunction with the Galaxy Foundation. He has visited children in LA area hospitals and through clinics assisted in growing the sport of soccer by demonstrating not only skills, but also character and sportsmanship to thousands of kids.

Seth Stammler - Defender
New York Red Bulls

Last November, Red Bulls midfielder/defender Seth Stammler embarked on a six-day service trip to Haiti, regarded as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere with more than half of the population earning less than $1 a day. Along with two teammates and Grammy Award winning musician Wyclef Jean, Stammler visited a number of Wyclef’s community service projects, including a food distribution, an after-school facility that runs athletic programs for children from the poorest parts of the country, a foster home for abandoned Haitian children, and a children’s rehabilitation prison for juvenile gang members. At the after-school facility, Stammler gave inspirational speech to the more than 650 children in the program, played in a series of friendlies with the youth teams and donated a substantial amount of soccer equipment that the Red Bulls had gathered over the course of the season.

During his visit to the juvenile prison – which gives incarcerated “child soldiers” the opportunity to rehabilitate through education and athletics - Stammler gave a motivational speech encouraging the children to take advantage of the opportunity they have been given and use their schooling and athletics programs as a means to abandon the troubled lives they led before and become upstanding, honorable members of the Haitian community.

Inspired by the people and the children he met, Stammler decided to help even further by starting his own charitable foundation aimed to improve living conditions in Haiti. And, in July 2007, “Sporting Chance Foundation” officially launched. By teaming up with prominent athletes, communities and corporate partners around the world, Stammler's foundation – which has filed to become 501(c)(3) certified - will raise money to combat two of the biggest issues Haitians face today: lack of educational opportunities and access to clean, potable water. Sporting Chance will provide scholarships to children and will build community water wells which will provide clean, potable water to thousands of people each day. For more information on his foundation, visit www.sportingchancefoundation.org.

For his efforts, Stammler was an invitee to the 2007 BRICK Awards in New York City, an awards show honoring young people positively impacting the lives of others. Among the other invitees were actresses Susan Sarandon, Jamie Lynn Sigler, singers Mandy Moore and Leann Rimes and supermodel Petra Nemcova, all of whom either started or support prominent philanthropic causes all over the world.

In addition to his foundation, Stammler has taken an active leadership role in the tri-state area as well. He has made over 15 community service appearances this season, highlighted by a visit to the Hale House in Harlem - a foster home for young children with mothers who are unable to provide for them due to incarceration or addiction. At the Hale House, Stammler played soccer with and read to the children. He plans to continue his work with the Hale House, and the other community service projects he was involved with in 2007, next year and beyond.

Craig Waibel would feel a little sheepish about being touted for a Humanitarian Award.  As Craig says, “It’s about the kids.”

As one the U.S. Soccer Foundation's Passback Spokesman, Waibel has made an impact on numerous youth throughout the Houston community. One kid in particular could probably speak enthusiastically for countless others about Craig Waibel’s caring spirit and selflessness.  14-year-old Nick Dozie met Waibel at Texas Children’s Hospital last year. Waibel says he was inspired by Dozie’s attitude in the midst of fighting lymphoma.  The two have become friends and Waibel reports that Nick, after a bone marrow transplant, is getting better. 

To Waibel, Dozie is one of hundreds of patients the Dynamo defender will visit this season.  To the youngster, Waibel is a singular hero.

Waibel breaks the rules. Don’t punish Craig for this, though.  Not only is he a softie for showing up at children’s fundraising causes on game days, he can be a little obsessive about it. When a group trying to raise awareness to fund a new soccer field set their date for a public campaign on a Saturday, just a few hours before the Dynamo was to play the New England Revolution at home, Craig asked for directions.  On a sweltering May afternoon, Craig visited with members of the neighborhood, joked with kids and juggled soccer balls before heading to his duties on the Dynamo pitch.

Waibel’s new mission spreads overseas.  Craig will soon spearhead a mission to ship equipment and boots to kids in South Africa.  The effort came after Waibel and his wife toured the country last year. Craig was “overwhelmed” by what he saw.  “Most of the kids there have never played soccer with shoes,” says Waibel.  “I want to help.” Game day, or not.

Carey Talley – Midfielder
Real Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake midfielder Carey Talley is known as the heart-and-soul of his team on the field, so it should be no surprise that the 31-year-old is one of the team’s most generous players off the field as well.

The Tennessee native and 10-year MLS veteran served as Real Salt Lake’s spokesperson for the U.S. Soccer Foundation Passback Program in 2007 and was one of the team’s most visible players throughout the Wasatch Front. In addition, Talley continues to work behind the scenes for a cause near and dear to him, the John C. Talley Pediatric Neurological Research Fund, in honor of his father who succumbed to brain cancer.

Chris Pozniak – Midfielder
Toronto FC

Returning to play professional soccer in his hometown after playing in Europe, Chris Pozniak is happy to be back home. It didn’t take long for Chris to offer his support to TFC community initiatives as soon as he signed with the team, months before the team played their first game. Generous with his time, “Poz” is willing to go out of his way to attend appearances.

If other players can not attend, Chris will volunteer in a second. He is the face of the Pass-Back program for used cleats/equipment, as well as brought the attention of a few charity/causes to the club that he felt were important for the team to support such as the Toronto Food Bank. He was the face of the “TFC Food Drive” delivered by Purolator which raised over $11,000 for the Daily Bread Food Bank. The Daily Bread Food Bank is Toronto’s leader in the fight against hunger.

Proud to promote the game of soccer in his home town, Chris ran a soccer clinic for boys to help raise money for Athletes for Africa, which is a charitable organization that uses the power of sport to educate and engage Canadians in Africa’s fight against poverty, famine, and disease. “Poz” is a true leader both on and off the pitch and had helped Toronto FC establish themselves strongly in the community after their first season in MLS.

Photography supplied by International Sports Images.