Sunday Conversation with Dr. Karen Hacker

1741 Newnan Crossing Blvd. East, Suite O

Newnan, GA 30265

You can also drop uniforms off at collection bins at Score Indoor Sports in Fairburn. Bins will be available on Saturdays throughout May and in early June at the following soccer fields: Central Park and Whitlock in Newnan, Marathon Park in Austell, and Chestnut Log in Douglasville.

If you would like to donate money to cover shipping, go to www.gofundme.com/UniformsUganda.

For more on Uniforms for Uganda, go to

For more on Children’s HopeChest’s work in Uganda, go to www.hopechest.org/community/ad

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Nine-year-old Nick Hacker and his six-year-old brother Colin share a love of soccer with kids around the world. Soon the Newnan boys will share their soccer uniforms with kids a world away. The boys and their mom Karen have started a local donation program called Uniforms for Uganda. They are collecting gently used jerseys, shorts and socks to send some 7,500 miles to less fortunate kids in Africa, specifically Adacar, in northeastern Uganda. “My boys have learned that there are children who are less fortunate, who may have no shoes or may use banana leaves to make a ball, but love soccer just as much as they do,” said Karen Hacker, a family physician. Partnering with the nonprofit Children’s HopeChest, the Hackers plan to send the first batch of uniforms in June.

Q: Where did the idea for Uniforms for Uganda come from?

A: This past fall, I was cleaning out my boys' closets and noticed how many soccer uniforms had been piling up from over the years. Soon after that, we were at a birthday party. Our friend, Matt Covington, had just returned from a mission trip to Uganda and started talking to Nick and me about how the kids there love soccer. A light bulb went off in my head.

Q: Do your kids even know where Uganda is?

A: Yes, we have taken out our globe and located Uganda. They have watched a video Matt sent us, "Vulnerable Children in the Pearl of Africa." This video taught the boys a lot about Uganda and the children we will be sending the uniforms to.

Q: Did your sons have any reservations about parting with their uniforms?

A: They didn't bat an eye. I don't know if that is because they have been playing season after season or maybe they are so excited about the project.

Q: Did you see this as a way to engage your children in volunteering?

A: That was part of my motivation, finding something that we can do to make a difference. The boys have definitely been a part of the decision-making with the project. They have helped set out our signs and bins, made a presentation at our church, talked to people about our efforts, and met with a local high school soccer team to take up their donations. They have worked hard. Now they are definitely seeing the benefits of that.

Q: How is the project it going?

A: Really well. We decided to collect only uniforms and socks, because cleats would be too heavy to ship. Our local soccer association, Southern Soccer Academy, has been extremely supportive. The Newnan High School soccer team has made donations. Score Indoor Sports in Fairburn has also been very involved. We have had donations from our church. We are working with Children's HopeChest and Matt Covington to coordinate the shipping of the donations to Uganda.

Q: What have your kids learned?

A: So many things. One is just opening their eyes to the bigger world. They have learned commitment. They have learned hard work for sure.

Q: Are you planning on keeping the project going?

A: That wasn't my attention originally, but the fact that the community has gotten so excited has given us more motivation. We are focusing our collections in one county currently, and perhaps next soccer season in our neighboring county. Hopefully, through Children's HopeChest, we will be able to see videos of the children in Uganda receiving and playing soccer in the uniforms we send. The boys would just love that, and our community can see how their generosity has spread across the world.