Haiti Deployment has Personal Impact on Team Members

Between building homes, delivering much-needed supplies, and spending time with the Haitian people, the Hope Force deployment of USC football players had a strong and lasting impact on the Sous Savanne community. But the trip also had an impact on members of the football team, many of whom commented that their worldview was changed dramatically by the experience.

Exposed to a culture very different from their own, the Trojans on the deployment found that their understanding of poverty was broadened exponentially and their team was united through the common experience. As they brought hope to an impoverished nation, the team felt the personal effects such an experience could have on their own lives. Many also feel that the team bonding that occurred on the field in Haiti will transfer to a powerful 'esprit de corps' on the gridiron when the football season starts.

The team bonding aspect of the Haiti deployment was especially meaningful for those Trojans who recently joined the football team. Among the new players was Scott Starr, who enrolled at USC this spring and will serve as linebacker in the fall for his first season with the Trojans. "I have never done anything like this before," Starr said. "But I'm the new guy on the team, so it was important to me to take this trip."

Safety Josh Shaw also saw team bonding as an added benefit from the deployment. Shaw commented that "Matt [Barkley] asked me if I wanted to come to Haiti, and I knew without a doubt that I did. In the Bible, you see God talking about serving His people, and this was an opportunity for me to do that. I am a new addition to the Trojan family, so it also allowed me to get closer with my teammates."

Several other players mentioned that the deployment affected them personally by changing their understanding of what poverty really looks like. According to backup quarterback Max Wittek, "We saw people walking barefoot in such dirty conditions. Lots of kids didn't even have socks or underwear."

Linebacker Hayes Pullard agreed that Haiti's poverty was a powerful sight. "Haiti was a very humbling experience for me," Pullard said. "I was amazed to see how bad their living conditions are. A lot of people's houses are the size of our bathrooms. After seeing Haiti, my goal going back to the States is to give back to as many people as I possibly can."

Witnessing such dire living conditions gave team members a sense of how meaningful their contribution was to the Sous Savanne community. Defensive end Kevin Greene shared about how it felt to give back to those in desperate need. Greene, who celebrated his 22nd birthday while in Haiti, was sung "Happy Birthday" by the students at a local school when the team delivered supplies. "To have 110 kids sing 'Happy Birthday' to me was definitely a blessing," Greene said. "But it was more rewarding to bring the gifts and school supplies to them than it being my birthday."

As rewarding as delivering supplies was to Greene and other Trojans on the deployment, it undoubtedly had an equal impact on the people they served. The headmaster of the school visited by the team commented that "It is the first time after the earthquake we see the students are so happy like this. You bring hope and encouragement among us! May God bless you and your team!"