John Kuziej is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Brophy for AZPreps365.com

Matt White was once shy and nervous as a fifth grader, unsure of how delivering soccer equipment to a Congolese family was going to go. Now as a senior at Brophy Prep, Matt realizes he wasn’t the only person nervous for this initial meeting, but a small item made everyone relax.

“The interaction I had with these Congolese kids all started with a soccer ball,” Matt said. “Going there I was shy myself, they were shy. Bring in the soccer ball and they just grabbed it and ran outside and just kicking the ball with them, juggling it in the air, just passing around on the small grass area they had outside their apartment, in their apartment complex. 

“It’s just no feeling like that, being able to pass around, do the thing that I love with people that I just met. I don’t even know who they are but we both have one passion, that’s soccer, that just connects us.”

Matt started helping Freekicks with his older brother, Connor White, who established the organization while at Brophy. Freekicks’ goal is to help make the transition to a new country easier for the refugee families that come to Arizona.

Once Connor graduated in 2019, Matt took over.

“The work of Freekicks helps the Congolese community to be able to integrate,” Alenga Alokola from FC Congo AZ said. “And to communicate well with American culture and to feel like you build confidence. So it’s helped a lot of young people's mindset and to feel like they belong to the community.”

Moving to a new place can be intimidating, even more so if the person making the move is unfamiliar with the new culture or language of the country. 

However, Freekicks and Matt have shown that there is a common sport that helps bring people from different cultures together.

“I’ll grab a soccer ball,” Matt said. “The kids will be out with me kicking the ball and for the kids who are new to the U.S., they don’t speak English, they don't have many friends. Having someone kick the ball with them which is something that they had in their community and their country.

“They’re just trying to find new people, new friends so seeing them, being able to help them, again it goes back to the smile. It’s soccer, soccer ball, it’s a universal thing, it's a universal language.” 

Freekicks collects all kinds of soccer gear from donations. Ranging from balls to cleats for refugee families in need. They work with “The Welcome to America Project'' delivering equipment.

“Really going on the run and being able to give the stuff to these refugee families that I donated was a whole new feeling,” Matt said. “Giving them the balls, giving them the clothes I donated myself and seeing how happy that made them feel, there is really no other feeling. It’s kind of like an addiction.” 

The Welcome to America Project works to help refugees settle into their new home by delivering everything from televisions to furniture. Matt adds to this service with Freekicks and this has made a big difference according to Mike Sullivan, a community ambassador for the Welcome to America Project.

“It’s the look on parents' faces,” Sullivan said. “When they see their young ones kicking the ball around with, you know, long established American young ones. You know, kicking it with them and you can just see there’s a look on their face that’s relief, joy, it’s like ok, we can make it here, look at that my kids are having fun with other kids.”

The impact Matt makes with Freekicks goes beyond just the gear and soccer balls delivered to the families. He is also able to make a connection with people who are seeking that camaraderie.

“Once the soccer ball’s out,” Sullivan said. “That's when you know conversations, joy, laughs that kind of stuff right. It was us just dropping off stuff, standing there, he (Matt) made the welcomes more participatory.”

Not only has Matt been selfless off the pitch when working with Freekicks but he is somebody who works hard for his teammates on the field as well.

Soccer is a game that takes a lot of physical and mental fortitude, constantly running up and down the field for a 90-minute match, it can be exhausting.

“He is one of these guys who just gives of himself,” Brophy soccer coach Marc Kelly said. “Always positive, you know one of the mottos we have here at Brophy is being a man for others.”

Matt is somebody who certainly lives by that motto, he started helping Freekicks in fifth grade and now as a senior in high school, runs the organization.

“I wasn’t just passing it down,” Connor White said. “It was more of someone new taking over that could improve what I had already started and put in place, and since he was my brother and best friend I could also reach out to him, help him out if he needed anything.”

Matt dove deeper with Freekicks, helping start up the FC Congo AZ team to help bring the Congolese refugee community closer together. Matt created the team logo and uniforms and helped sponsor them with equipment. 

“This isn’t something that he’s done just for a year,'' Kelly Loonam, volunteer coordinator at The Welcome to America Project said. “This isn’t just for like a college thing. This is something he has done all four years, he’s been involved with consistently, I mean he truly has a passion for it.”

Matt still wants to stay involved even after he goes off to college.

“It’s a privilege not a chore,'' Matt said.