Help Fight Human Trafficking Through Wrestling
Donation protected
Dear Potential Giver,
Hello, my name is Lio Quezada, and I have a huge passion for working with the younger generation in my community. This summer I am pursuing an opportunity to travel, and work with the Tambayan Youth Organization in the Philippines. The children in this region experience human trafficking daily in their lives. Poverty in the region increases the vulnerability of the youth to prostitution and child labor. There are thousands of documented cases of children being bought and sold internationally.
During my time in the Philippines, I will have the opportunity to work with the community to aid children in improving their mental, social, and physical wellbeing. My plan is to register the experience as an independent study by extending my stay, and teaching the youth (freestyle, folk style, and Greco Roman) wrestling. I intend to relay my message of how wrestling gave me the self-confidence and opportunity to build a better life than I had ever imagined as a very young child. Wrestling is the ideal sport to teach youth in the Philippines, because it instills invaluable life lessons, and it is free to participate in. My dream has always been to help the community around me by passing down my knowledge of wrestling, and how it changed my life. Wrestling gave me the opportunity to be a role model to younger wrestlers. I cannot express how excited I am to expand my dream to the global level. In high school, I was 2x State Champion which gave me the opportunity to take my talents to college level. I plan to donate all the gear that I acquired as a D-1 wrestler at George Mason University to the kids that I will work with on this trip. The gear represents a dream that came true for me, in going to college, a dream that seemed not achievable at times during my childhood. When this dream came true, I was able to show my younger siblings, cousins and the children in the community that no matter what cards that we are dealt in life you can overcome the challenges. I want to make a point to the less fortunate youth of the Philippines, that you have to keep believing in your dreams, and if you keep them close to you, with relentless pursuit, you can achieve anything despite obstacles.
I could not have gotten to this point in my life, and even realized the potential to make a trip like this, without a lot of support. I am asking for your financial support to help me realize this dream. The cost of the trip is roughly $7000.00. Any money that is donated to this effort will go to help these children while supporting my dream of finishing my education and will personally help pay for my transportation and living expenses. Any money after those expenses will be used to fund a scholarship for Philippine kids to attend school. They are able to attend school for around $150, and by attending it allows them some reprieve from the threat of human trafficking issues that continue to plague the Philippines.
I will be sending updates of my trip on (facebook, twitter, blogs, and video blogs). I want to share this beneficial experience for the kids of the Philippines, and me, with all of you that have supported me to this point in my life. Wrestling will bring them the confidence and mental toughness to withstand the challenges they face daily. I just hope they don’t get tough enough to take me down by the end of the trip. Please consider contributing any size donation, to help me realize this dream of helping others, while showing them the sport that gave me everything.
All the best
Lio Quezada
Hello, my name is Lio Quezada, and I have a huge passion for working with the younger generation in my community. This summer I am pursuing an opportunity to travel, and work with the Tambayan Youth Organization in the Philippines. The children in this region experience human trafficking daily in their lives. Poverty in the region increases the vulnerability of the youth to prostitution and child labor. There are thousands of documented cases of children being bought and sold internationally.
During my time in the Philippines, I will have the opportunity to work with the community to aid children in improving their mental, social, and physical wellbeing. My plan is to register the experience as an independent study by extending my stay, and teaching the youth (freestyle, folk style, and Greco Roman) wrestling. I intend to relay my message of how wrestling gave me the self-confidence and opportunity to build a better life than I had ever imagined as a very young child. Wrestling is the ideal sport to teach youth in the Philippines, because it instills invaluable life lessons, and it is free to participate in. My dream has always been to help the community around me by passing down my knowledge of wrestling, and how it changed my life. Wrestling gave me the opportunity to be a role model to younger wrestlers. I cannot express how excited I am to expand my dream to the global level. In high school, I was 2x State Champion which gave me the opportunity to take my talents to college level. I plan to donate all the gear that I acquired as a D-1 wrestler at George Mason University to the kids that I will work with on this trip. The gear represents a dream that came true for me, in going to college, a dream that seemed not achievable at times during my childhood. When this dream came true, I was able to show my younger siblings, cousins and the children in the community that no matter what cards that we are dealt in life you can overcome the challenges. I want to make a point to the less fortunate youth of the Philippines, that you have to keep believing in your dreams, and if you keep them close to you, with relentless pursuit, you can achieve anything despite obstacles.
I could not have gotten to this point in my life, and even realized the potential to make a trip like this, without a lot of support. I am asking for your financial support to help me realize this dream. The cost of the trip is roughly $7000.00. Any money that is donated to this effort will go to help these children while supporting my dream of finishing my education and will personally help pay for my transportation and living expenses. Any money after those expenses will be used to fund a scholarship for Philippine kids to attend school. They are able to attend school for around $150, and by attending it allows them some reprieve from the threat of human trafficking issues that continue to plague the Philippines.
I will be sending updates of my trip on (facebook, twitter, blogs, and video blogs). I want to share this beneficial experience for the kids of the Philippines, and me, with all of you that have supported me to this point in my life. Wrestling will bring them the confidence and mental toughness to withstand the challenges they face daily. I just hope they don’t get tough enough to take me down by the end of the trip. Please consider contributing any size donation, to help me realize this dream of helping others, while showing them the sport that gave me everything.
All the best
Lio Quezada
Organizer
Lionardo Quezada
Organizer
Fairfax, VA
