Speaker: Ethan Zohn

Using Soccer To Change the World

Ethan Zohn is the 2002 winner of the reality television show Survivor. With his 1 million dollar prize money, Ethan co-founded Grassroot Soccer, a nonprofit organization that trains professional soccer players to teach African children, a tailor-made SKILLZ curriculum, about HIV/AIDS prevention. Since it’s founding GRS has caught the attention of (and now partners with) Nike, the Gates Foundation, FIFA Futbol for Hope, (RED), Elton John Foundation, Daimler Chrysler and DeBeers, and ‘graduated’ over 340,000 youths. By the FIFA World Cup in Brazil in 2014, the organization’s goal is to graduate one million African youths from the program.
In August 2008, Ethan officially launched Grassroot Soccer UNITED an international, youth-led movement to raise money and build awareness for his foundation and mission to end HIV/AIDS in Africa, by embarking on a world-record-breaking 550-mile journey on foot, from Boston, MA, to Washington, D.C. – dribbling a soccer ball the entire route. Ethan is also the national spokesperson for America Scores, an organization that helps inner city kids participate in educational soccer programs. Other extensive charity work includes the Colon Cancer Alliance, Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Organization (IREO), Autism Speaks, Global Conservation Act, St. Jude Hospital, and Maccabi USA.
In May—less than 30 days after his diagnoses with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma was made public on the cover of People Magazine—Ethan was asked to serve as National Ambassador for “Stand Up 2 Cancer” and Lance Armstrong’s LIVESTRONG Foundation.

Join us on World AIDS Day, as Ethan speaks about his journey and shares stories to inspire action around important social change issue of our time.

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