By: Mitch Wilson, Dean at Constance Lane Elementary School

Mrs. Euang Pothiboupha built a five-day village. There was soccer, of course, but there was also so much more. There were meals. There were art projects. There were team-building activities. There was singing. There were motivational messages. There was lemonade everywhere, and chips, lots and lots of chips. The kind of details adults often overlook but children never forget.

Most importantly, there were people. Group leaders. Coaches. Parents. Pastors. Cooks. Mentors. Older youth leading younger youth. Transportation coordinators. Volunteers. Nearly 70 of them.

What emerged was far more than a soccer camp hosted by the Lao Evangelical Church of Rockford. It was a place where children knew they belonged.

Each evening followed a thoughtful structure. Students shared a meal together before participating in activities designed to build relationships and confidence. Afterward came warm-ups, stretching, skill development, and finally the games. Teams like the Black Widows, Manchester, the Red Jays, and the Lions took the field each night. Students competed hard. They encouraged one another. They celebrated victories. They learned from mistakes. They built friendships.

And behind every activity was a volunteer. Behind every volunteer was a plan. And behind every plan was someone who believed children were worth the effort.

What impressed me most was how many people found a place to serve. Several Constance Lane staff members contributed to the effort in different ways. Mr. Dunia Mukandama, our Swahili-speaking Social Worker, played a critical role before camp even began. Living in the same neighborhood as many of the students he serves, he helped connect families to the opportunity, personally reaching out to families, making phone calls, and encouraging participation. His relationships and outreach helped ensure more students could experience the camp.

Throughout the week, Mrs. Carmen Altarriba and Mrs. Sonevilay Chanthalangsy, both members of our ESL team, showed up to encourage students and support families. Mrs. Cecelia Haase, a second-grade teacher who serves many multilingual learners, attended to cheer on students and celebrate their success. Mrs. Ambre’ Martin, a kindergarten teacher who serves many Swahili-speaking students during the school year, stepped into the role of coach during the evening sessions. Mr. Emanuel Mukiza, the boys’ Soka Umoja coach also attended to support students and families. Everyone had a role. Everyone had a purpose. Everyone was invested in the children.

Many of the students attending the camp had first connected through Soka Umoja, Constance Lane’s soccer-based belonging and leadership program. Throughout the school year, these students practiced teamwork, accountability, perseverance, emotional regulation, and leadership through soccer. One student in particular reminded me why this work matters. His name cannot be shared, but the meaning of his name can. In Swahili, his name means Love and Expectant Hope. Throughout the year, he worked hard on emotional regulation, self-control, and making positive choices during difficult moments. The adults around him invested countless hours encouraging him, teaching him, and helping him grow. Then, during the final minute of a camp game, he found himself battling for possession against one of the opposing team’s strongest players. The ball glanced off him before rolling out of bounds. I made the wrong call. Without hesitation, I pointed possession toward his team. The game was on the line. His team was trailing. The easiest thing in the world would have been to accept the call and move on. Instead, he looked at me and said: “Mr. Wilson, I touched it.” Just like that, possession went the other way. His team lost possession. But he demonstrated something far more important than winning. He demonstrated integrity.

For many people, it may have seemed like a small moment. For those who knew his journey, it was much more. It was evidence of growth. Evidence that relationships matter. Evidence that belonging matters. Evidence that when enough caring adults invest in a child, that child begins to believe in himself.

The story did not end there. On the final evening of camp, nearly 200 people gathered for a celebration. Parents. Families. Church members. Volunteers. Students. Community members. That night, I called this young man to the front. I asked the crowd to say his name. Then I told them what it meant. Love. Expectant Hope.

I shared the story of a soccer game, a missed call, and a young man who chose honesty when nobody would have questioned him. I testified to the growth I had witnessed over the past two years. Not because he is perfect. Not because the journey is finished. But because growth deserves to be recognized.

As I watched the camp unfold, I found myself thinking about a lesson education has taught me over and over again. Children rarely become what we predict. They often become what we invest in.

For five summer evenings, Mrs. Euang Pothiboupha built a village. Mr. Dunia Mukandama connected families. Mrs. Carmen Altarriba and Mrs. Sonevilay Chanthalangsy encouraged students. Mrs. Cecelia Haase cheered on her learners. Mrs. Ambre’ Martin coached a team. Mr. Emanuel Mukiza supported students and families.

Dozens of volunteers cooked, mentored, organized, transported, taught, and served. And in the final minute of a soccer game, one student gave all of us a glimpse of what that investment can produce. Love. Hope. Integrity. The kind of growth that reminds us why the work matters. The kind of growth that reminds us why we keep showing up. The kind of growth that reminds us that every child deserves to be seen, not simply for who they are today, but for who they may one day become.

Because when a village invests in a child, remarkable things can happen.