10News honors Jo-Lin Govek who is the coordinator and one of the founders of the “Kickin It” soccer tournament where all the proceeds are donated to a charitable event.

Govek plays soccer for Old Castle United in an adult league. She and her team wanted to help others and inspire the soccer community to do the same. They decided to do this the best way they knew how; through soccer. Govek and her teammates put on their first 7v7 tournament in 2005 and raised money for Randy Cohen who was dealing with complications from Crohn’s disease. In 2006 the proceeds went to the Doonan Family whose mom was battling breast cancer. The 2007 recipient was Eric Ott and the donation helped him in his fight against brain cancer.

To fund this program each team pays an entry fee. The fields are donated as well as T-shirts that become items for a raffle and silent auction. The people who work at the tournament are volunteers and some people who cannot play in the tournament make donations. After all the expenses like food and referees are taken care of the remaining money is donated to a charity or individual.

Jo-Lin spends countless hours coordinating this event; looking for sponsors and donations as well as finding a venue and making sure the tournament runs smoothly. She also spends the entire weekend of the tournament facilitating the event. Govek and her team work extremely hard to motivate others to get involved and better the life of people in the San Diego community.

For more information, please contact Old Castle United at www.oldcastleunited.com.