St. Louis Roadies Homeless Soccer Team to Take on Phi Kappa Psi at Mizzou!

ST. LOUIS (April 23, 2010) 

Doug Carter was homeless on and off for the past several years in St. Louis.  While participating in a transitional housing program at Peter & Paul Community Services, Doug learned about the agency’s street soccer team, the St. Louis Roadies.  He never thought a ball could change his life but three years later he has his own place, a part-time job and is pursuing a Missouri Commercial Driver’s license in order to supplement his income as a cab driver.

“Looking back now, I was just tired of being tired, tired of losing jobs and moving from place to place. I remember one winter sleeping out in a tent behind an abandoned building downtown with a couple other guys.  One of the guys at our camp froze to death.  He had been there throughout the winter and rarely got out of the cold when the weather was really bad.  It finally caught up with him.  It was really sad. I continued to work with Peter & Paul staff on my résumé and stayed involved with the soccer team.  I have no idea as to why, but the coaches and players chose me as team captain.   I was pretty happy about that.  Through it all I’ve kept my faith. I’m actually proud of myself and where I am now.  I’ve come a long way.”

Since joining the Roadies Doug has competed at the national level in Kansas City at the Midwest Invitational and Washington D.C. for the USA Street Soccer Cup.  This summer he will travel with the team to Washington D.C. to compete against homeless street soccer teams from 16 other cities.  Organizers of the USA Street Soccer Cup will choose 8 players to represent the United States in the Homeless World Cup in Rio De Janiero in the fall.

Doug is not the exception. Internationally, 77% of participants in Street Soccer programs make a significant life changes such as moving off the street, or pursuing further education.

With 800,000 people homeless on any given night in the US, homelessness is a widespread and worsening national problem.

Mizzou Senior Luke Hesse first heard about the St. Louis Roadies while home for Easter break. 

“I heard about Doug’s story from a family member who helps out at Peter & Paul Community Services.  I got in touch with Pete Campanella who heads up the coaching staff for the Roadies and spoke to our house president about playing a match.  The idea kind of took off from there.”

The Roadies take on Phi Kappa PSI on Friday, April 30 at 7 p.m.  

Date/Time:                     Friday, April 30, 2010                  7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Venue:                                  Columbia Cosmopolitan Park,                                                                  Columbia, MO 65202

In Case of Rain:                    Lange Middle School 2201 E. Smiley Lane

Tickets:                          Open to the public

Sponsors:                       Gumby's Pizzeria, Lange Middle School

About Peter & Paul Community Services:
Peter & Paul Community Services is the nonprofit agency committed to the most difficult-to-help homeless population - those who are chronically homeless.  Cases involving severe mental illness, HIV/AIDS, or drug or alcohol addiction for those who have refused or been denied help by other programs. Begun in 1981 as a seasonal shelter, Peter & Paul Community Services (PPCS) today manages three transitional housing programs, an emergency shelter, and a meals programs serving over 1500 unduplicated clients annually. PPCS offers shelter, food, psychiatric care, job skills training, help for chemical addictions, and a welcoming community for those who are  lonely.  Over 1000 volunteers donate approximately 8000 hours of service each year.  More on the web at www.ppcsinc.org.

About SSUSA”S Homeless USA Cup:

Each year Street Soccer USA hosts the Homeless USA Cup in Washington D.C. The Homeless USA Cup serves dually to engage and empower the participants as well as to challenge stereotypes about homelessness and to build public will for addressing the problem of homelessness in the US.  Street Soccer USA is the official partner of the Homeless World Cup in the United States and has taken teams to the competition in Scotland, South Africa, Denmark, Australia and Italy.  The 2010 Homeless World Cup will be held in Rio De Janiero in September.

About Phi Kappa Psi:

• The Missouri Alpha Chapter of Phi Kappa Psi was the first fraternity at the University of Missouri and was founded on June 12, 1869.

• Phi Kappa Psi has the oldest fraternity house on the University of Missouri campus. The Grasslands was built in 1878, by George Bingham Rollins, the son of the founder of the University of Missouri - Columbia.

• The Missouri Alpha Chapter claims almost 1,500 alumni and is among the top chapters in "most initiated members" within Phi Kappa Psi.

• The Missouri Alpha Chapter Scholarship Fund currently contains more than $80,000. This allows the alumni corporation to award more than $4,000 in scholarships to chapter members every year.

• Phi Kappa Psi begain it's annual "PHI PSI 500" in 1961, which was the first philanthropy at the University of Missouri. It continues to raise thousands of dollars for local charities every year.

• The Missouri Alpha Chapter of Phi Kappa Psi has won the Thomas Cochran Campbell Ritual Exemplification Award (for performing the ritual the best of any chapter of Phi Kappa Psi) more than any other chapter of Phi Kappa Psi.

• The Missouri Alpha Chapter of Phi Kappa Psi has won the Director's Cup at the University of Missouri three times in just the last four years.

• For the past three years, a member of Phi Kappa Psi have been selected for the Cecil B. Keisler Award, otherwise know as the "Greek Man of the Year Award."