Volunteer Spotlight | Isabella Roque
Local Impact Goes a Long Way
“It is hard to put into words … it’s about empowering the youth and the families”
TeamUp has a strong core of dedicated support and volunteers who work tremendously to put the vision into action. One of these volunteers is fourth year university student, Bella Roque. Initially getting involved with TeamUp was more of a natural move because of Bella’s role on the Trinity Western University women’s soccer team. The squad went on a TeamUp trip to Peru in the spring of 2019 where Bella was able to serve the community of Manchay by coaching and helping build sustainable gardens for local families. It was there in the broken community of Manchay where Bella was able to see sport, and specifically soccer, as something more than just an extra curricular most kids do growing up.
Experiencing firsthand the transformative power sports have on people’s lives is what inspires Bella to continue to serve locally in the community of Edmonds, Burnaby. This location is largely made up of refugee families who have fled their country due to political, religious, and social violence. The children of these families attend school everyday, sometimes without breakfast or food to sustain them throughout the day and have to learn in a language that is foreign to them. Bella understands this and puts herself in the kids shoes more often than not. She has started to learn some of their native dialects so that she can relate to them deeper and build a genuine connection.
TeamUp has partnered with the Edmonds community school, where the vast majority of these kids attend, to assist in running an after-school soccer program, offering kids an opportunity and place to belong. Bella has taken it upon herself to be a key volunteer who makes herself available for all Edmonds activities year-round. When asked why she chooses to be such a consistent volunteer Bella expresses that, “it is hard to put into words … it’s about empowering the youth and the families”. She then goes on to explain the sheer difficulty that the families and the kids go through on a daily basis without a complaint to be heard is what gives her hope.
Home life for a lot of these kids is a sensitive topic, because parents often have to work multiple jobs, it forces older siblings to take on more responsibility at such a young age. Bella recalls her youthful, carefree days and is extremely humbled by the strength that it takes from these kids to grow up so fast. Bella desires to allow everyone who shows up to the soccer program to just be a kid, even if it is for just an hour.
The soccer program has become sort of a safe haven for the kids where they can escape their real life worries that constantly bounce around in their young minds. The kids are able to connect with older role models in a safe environment and learn life skills through sport. It is because of amazing volunteers like Bella who make this experience for the kids a much richer one. Bella summarizes her experience with TeamUp as life changing, not only for the lives that she is reaching but for her own life as well. She has found that where her joy used to come from in her own achievements and performance now comes from serving communities who have less than we do.
Written By:
Aliya Coy, April 7, 2021
Looking to make a difference through sport? Interested in volunteering with us?
Contact us below and we would love to get in touch with you!