Eastside Catholic Student Plays it Forward

Nicolette Dworkin says that sports have always been a big part of her life, a source of great joy and happiness. She gets to experience that happiness every time she takes to the soccer field or the tennis court for . 

Dworkin wouldn’t really get to have that experience if she didn’t have the right equipment and a proper uniform, though, and she knows that. More importantly, she knows that many people in other parts of the world don’t have those things, and she wants them to be able to experience the genuine happiness that sports can bring, too.

“It’s really important to me,” said Dworkin, a 16-year old student athlete at Eastside Catholic School.

In order to help other people experience that happiness, Dworkin has been collecting uniforms and other athletic clothing for Eastside Catholic’s sister school in Mombassa, Kenya since her freshman year.

Called Play it Forward, Dworkin’s collection effort recently allowed her to send approximately 150 uniforms to Mombassa. A pair of Eastside Catholic teachers who spent two and a half weeks there this past summer delivered the uniforms.

Dworkin wasn’t able to go herself, but she did hear that the uniforms were a very welcome gift.

“I heard everyone was ecstatic,” Dworkin said.

Dworkin first started got involved with Play it Forward several years ago when her sister was playing on the same team as Emily Baer, the girl who originally created the program.

“Ever since then I’ve really loved doing it,” Dworkin said.

Ellen McCormick, a scripture and Church history teacher at Eastside Catholic, was part of the group that took the uniforms to Kenya and is amazed by Dworkin’s efforts.

“I think it’s fantastic that’s she’s taken on such an incredible service project,” McCormick said.

McCormick got to see a group of teachers at the school in Mombassa try on their donated Eastside Catholic t-shirts for the first time and remembered how excited and happy they were with their new gear.

“It was really great to see that,” McCormick said.

A junior now, Dworkin has already begun collecting uniforms for next year and hopes to one day be able to deliver them herself. Until then, helping people take the field so they can experience the joy that she feels when she plays is gratifying enough for Dworkin.

“It makes me feel great,” Dworkin said.