By One World Play Project, a California-based B-Corporation, has partnered with Chevrolet since 2012 to donate One World Futbols (soccer balls) to children in the developing world. Without this program, play for these kids would be a rarity or impossibility. GreenSportsBlog told One World Play Project’s inspirational and green (the balls are ultra-durable and thus kept out of landfills) story in a recent post. And that story will continue as the One World Play Project-Chevrolet partnership has been extended for three more years.
One World Play Project announced on Monday that Chevrolet will continue to support its donation and distribution of Chevrolet-branded One World Futbols for the next 3 years. To date, the partners have donated 1.5 million ultra-durable (never needs a pump; never goes flat, even when punctured) balls to disadvantaged kids around the world. By the end of 2018, that number will have increased to 2 million balls distributed.
While the ball distribution numbers are impressive, the lives impacted tally is even more so. On that score, One World Play Project and Chevrolet have done phenomenal work: An estimated 45 million lives have been touched to date; in three years time, that number is projected to grow to 60 million.
From the Green-Sports perspective, the metric to watch is keeping balls out of landfill. Per One World Play Project, a standard ball needs to be replaced at least every month while a One World Futbol can last for years. Thus, One World Play Project calculates that, for each 1 million One World Futbols put into play, at least 2.4 million fewer balls will end up in landfills over the course of two years.
The impact of the One World Play Project/Chevrolet partnership on kids’ lives and the environment is significant
No matter the metric, One World Play Project sees tremendous value in its Chevrolet relationship. “We are thrilled with Chevrolet’s ongoing support for our mission to make it possible for young people around the world to have the opportunity to play and thrive,” said Neill Duffy, Chief Catalyst at One World Play Project, “our partnership is testament to the power of a shared values approach to doing good and doing well.”
A group of girls playing with a One World Futbol in Peru, some of the 45 million children touched by the One World Play Project/Chevrolet partnership. (Photo credit: Operation Blessing Peru)
In addition to the continuation of the Chevrolet futbol/soccer ball distribution program, One World Play Project will launch a highly durable One World Cricket ball later this year. By some measures, after soccer, Cricket is the most played game in the world.
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Great post greensportsblog! I had not heard of One World Play Project. From a quantitative standpoint, how does one measure “lives touched”?…e.g. your above statement “an estimated 45 million lives have been touched to date; in three years time, that number is projected to grow to 60 million.”
Hello thesustainableinvestor,
Our ball donations always go to organizations, not to individuals. We use an average of a 30:1 ratio of child per ball for our donations, depending on the specific plans of our recipient partners. We hope this helps clarify!
Cheers,
Andrew at One World Play Project
I hope this becomes a HUGE story. It deserves it!
Reblogged this on Relan and commented:
We love this partnership between the One World Play Project and Chevrolet. Together, they are providing soccer balls to kids around the world and in turn, keeping an estimated 2.4 million soccer balls out of landfills each year.
Check out this post from the Green Sports Blog.