Israeli Embassy delivers Soccer Gear to the Cook Islands
Cook Islands Football Association held a ceremony to receive a shipment of donated football goods valued at $31,000 from the Reagan Milstein Foundation at the CIFA complex in Matavera.
The Reagan Milstein Foundation is an Australian based not for profit organization which has been established in the memory of Reagan Milstein who tragically died in July 2010 at the age of just 15.
This has been the first time the Reagan Milstein Foundation donates sports equipment to the Cook Islands. Previously the Foundation already donated sports equipment to Tonga and Samoa.
CIFA President Lee Harmon, Reagan Milstein Foundation CEO Kevin Milstein, Ambassador Shemi Tzur, Associate Minister of Sports Hon John Henry
The ceremony was attended by Israeli Ambassador to New Zealand H.E. Shemi Tzur, Associate Minster of Sports Mr John Henry, CIFA President Mr Lee Harmon and Reagan Milstein Foundation’s Founder and CEO Mr Kevin Milstein.
In his address Ambassador Tzur said “how delighted he was to deliver these goods to the children of the Cook Islands and the opportunity this gives to enhance the relationship between our two countries”.
The Ambassador also complimented the Prime Minster of the Cook Islands on hosting an excellent Pacific Forum in which he participated earlier this year. During that visit the Ambassador also took part in a handing over ceremony of much needed supplies of diabetic devices from the Insulin for Life Foundation.
Prior to the official handing over ceremony, Reagan Foundation’s CEO Kevin Milstein said how much it meant to him to take part in another ceremony to honor his late son Reagan and also thanked the Israeli Government without whom he said “none of this would have been made possible”.
In his speech Mr Milstein said “that it is through sport that we at the Reagan Milstein Foundation hope to bring the ideas of fair play, camaraderie, competitiveness, equality and opportunity to people. Even if we only change the life of just one child we would hope that they in turn pass it on to more, who then pass it on to 2 more each and so on and so on until before you know it you have an army of children out there trying to make a better world. Sport breaks down barriers, it fights racism, it engenders the ideals of fair play so why can’t we all live together in the same way that we play sport together? That is the challenge for each and every one of us every day”.
Cook Islands Football Association’s President Mr Lee Harmon gratefully accepted the donated sports goods and said: ”Kevin you have come at the right time, our stock of equipment we receive from our international body FIFA has depleted dramatically over the last few months”. He also thanked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Internal Affairs for negotiating this handing over ceremony on behalf of the Cook Islands.
Reagan Milstein was returning from living his dream – attending the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa with his father – when he suffered a tragic accident while scuba diving in Malaysia on the way home to Australia. Despite weeks of intensive care, Reagan never regained consciousness and passed away on 22nd July, 2010.
Not only does the FIFA World Cup bring together nations on a common ground (on a soccer field), but so does the sport of “soccer” in general. One does not have to attend a major event like the World Cup, but for one to have any level of soccer equipment to play with is something that can bring societies around the world together. In this specific instance, three different nations came together in a giving setting: Israel, Australia, and the Cook Islands. I applaud the positive and philanthropic efforts of these groups.
Thank you for the article.
Jan Eliason
Owner, http://www.soccerfieldpro.com