21/7/2005 - Toronto, Canada: Rogers Sportsnet soccer analyst and Soccercentral personality Craig Forrest is heading to South Africa this week to visit several SOS Children's Villages in Southern Africa. The former star goalkeeper for the Canadian men's national soccer team, Mr. Forrest has also been appointed Canada's 'FIFA for SOS Children Ambassador'. He joins over 60 soccer stars around the world who will take on the job of promoting the long standing partnership between the international football governing body, FIFA, and SOS Children's Villages.
FIFA and SOS have had a working partnership for 10 years aimed at mobilizing social responsibility in sport. The latest joint venture is '6 Villages for 2006', the Official Charity Campaign of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. This campaign aims to raise sufficient funds for 6 new SOS Children's Villages for orphaned and abandoned children by the time the whistle blows at the final of the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. The Villages will be built in Mexico, Brazil, Nigeria, Vietnam, the Ukraine, and South Africa.
SOS Children's Villages Canada (SOS CANADA) and the Canadian Soccer Association are working together to raise funds to build a portion of the new Village planned for Rustenburg, South Africa. Mr. Forrest will participate in the Foundation stone laying ceremony for the Village on July 30, 11:30 AM South African time. He hopes this trip will help gain visibility for the campaign throughout Canada during the coming year.
Mr. Forrest will be joined on his Southern African visit by Boyd McBride, National Director of SOS Canada and Kelsey Lemon, Partnership Coordinator for the organization. "I'm extremely excited to have this opportunity to help raise awareness for the sub-Sahara's vulnerable children," said Mr. Forrest. "I know this will be an incredible learning experience for me and I hope that I can share what I learn with sports audiences across Canada. I'm really looking forward to seeing firsthand the important work of SOS Children's Villages and hope I'll get a chance to meet many of the children," he continued.
Mr. Forrest will also have the opportunity to meet other FIFA for SOS Children Ambassadors, such as South African soccer legend Lucas Radebe. He will spend several days visiting SOS Children's Villages in the area and will drop in at several social and medical outreach programmes run by SOS Children's Villages South Africa.
Mr. Forrest will be accompanied by a Rogers Sportsnet film crew who will record his visit. Several segments from the Africa trip will air on the popular Rogers Sportsnet program Soccercentral. They will run from late August to November 2005. The trip is sponsored by: Rogers Sportsnet, Adidas Canada, Avis Rent-A-Car, Mercure Hotels, and Legacy Hotels and Resorts.