Seattle's Graham makes giving back a priority
Sounders FC honor defender with Humanitarian of the Year award
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Graham, a defender for Seattle Sounders FC, has spent most of this season sidelined with various foot injuries. He decided to turn that into an opportunity and to get more involved in his community.
"It's allowed me to do things with the organization that I wouldn't have been able to do otherwise," Graham said. "It's been great getting out in the community and spending more time trying to contribute in ways off the field, because frankly I haven't been able to do anything on the field."
For the exemplary role that Graham has taken on, Sounders FC have honored him with their Humanitarian of the Year award. His involvement with local schools, youth organizations and the club's philanthropic initiatives have exemplified the ideals and virtues of the Sounders organization and MLS W.O.R.K.S., the league's community outreach initiative.
Graham feels fortunate to have had the chance to interact with children in the local community.
"[Being a professional athlete] breaks down all potential barriers," Graham said. "If you say 'soccer' or a team name, it automatically opens doors you wouldn't normally have access to."
Graham realizes that most of his opportunities are a direct result of soccer. Dating back to his time at Stanford University, playing soccer has afforded him the opportunity to pursue various volunteer activities, especially visiting children's hospitals.
"One of the luxuries of being a soccer player is that you have more free time to do these things and you have an automatic in."
In June, Graham represented Sounders FC at a Seattle Sports community service event at Seattle Children's Hospital.
In the crowd was Kaitlin, a teenage girl wearing a Sounders FC sweatshirt. The two players representing the Seattle Seahawks approached her and asked if she'd like an autograph. Graham, who was in earshot, heard her say, "No, I just want to talk to the Sounders guy."
Kaitlin is a cancer patient at Seattle Children's Hospital. She loves soccer and her favorite team, Sounders FC. Her favorite player is Fredy Montero. Graham and Kaitlin have stayed in touch and Graham invited Kaitlin to a Sounders practice, where he introduced her to the team and gave her a jersey signed by Montero.
"She was on cloud nine," explained Graham.
"We e-mail from time-to-time, talking about soccer or how she is feeling, and what's going on with her life. She is very appreciative and she's got the biggest smile and is tougher than anyone on the team."
Kaitlin was set to attend one final Sounders game before suffering a setback in her treatment. Finally, against her mom's wishes, Kaitlin went to the team's final regular season home game against FC Dallas. On Fan Appreciation Night, Sounders FC won 2-1 and clinched a spot in the playoffs. After the game, a number of fans were invited down to the field.
"I knew she was going to be on the side of the field," Graham said. "So I snagged a soccer ball for her, ran over and gave her a hug."
At a young age, Graham understood the importance of giving back to the community. Growing up in Sacramento, Calif., Graham's brother and sister volunteered as mentors and teachers for a summer school program with inner-city children.
"That was part of my life growing up," he said. "Being around those kids and having those experiences, I think that's something that has stuck with me throughout my career."
Graham is also passionate about working with youth in the community. One program that he has dedicated a lot time to this year is America SCORES Seattle, which empowers students in urban communities using soccer, writing, creative expression and service learning. With teamwork as the unifying value, they inspire youth to lead healthy lifestyles, be engaged as students and become agents of change in their community.
In Seattle alone, there are six America SCORES schools. Graham has been involved with the organization in a variety of ways including attending their fundraising events and spending time with the children.
America SCORES employs soccer as a platform for teaching academics, social skills and teamwork in their schools. To play on the soccer team, students must commit to literacy workshops every other day after school. These workshops help students apply reading and writing to their life experiences, using poetry as a means to address and discuss issues in their community.
This past year, an America SCORES event was held at the Sounders FC practice venue, Starfire Sports Complex. All six SCORES schools in Seattle were bussed to the venue, where the kids played small-sided scrimmages for the day. Graham wanted to keep his role in the activities very simple.
"There were parents around and there were coaches around, but they were coaching," Graham said. "I was just hanging out with the kids on the sideline. It was very real."
Graham was wearing his Sounders FC polo, which evoked some questions about his credibility on the field. When they learned that Graham played for the team, a few kids were quick to tell him he was too tall to play soccer.
"Some of these kids' faces would light up and some had the guts to say 'you don't play for the Sounders, tell me who your teammates are,' so I would quickly rattle off 20 teammates and convince these 10-year-old kids that I, in fact, do play soccer."
For Graham, having the chance to interact with the children is one the most rewarding parts of volunteering for America SCORES. "It was fun to be able to interact with them on the simplest level, soccer."
Recently Graham sat in on an America SCORES board meeting to discuss his future involvement and role in the program's initiatives.
Graham attended his first America SCORES poetry slam on November 18, just days before MLS Cup 2009 took place at Qwest Field. The SCORES poetry slam encourages children in the program to build self-confidence by reciting their poems in front of their peers.
In addition to getting involved in his community, Graham has been connecting with Sounders FC fans through his blog, tweeting about different charitable causes and even filming Sounders Weekly.
"This year has been great," Graham said. "The final product with a successful team, a city that embraces the team fully and then a team that appreciates the support that the city gives them. It's like a movie script, it's that perfect."
Alissa Rotberg is a contributor to MLSnet.com
