Emily forwards this note from the Fugees coach and founder Luma Mufleh…

The time has come.

One of the most common questions that I get is: “Why don’t you have a girls’ team?” The answer is simple but complex at the same time. When I first started the Fugees, it was a pick-up game in a parking lot with kids who lived in the neighborhood. On our first team, we did have one girl play, but she left after a few games to play basketball. From time to time, we have considered adding a girls’ program, but felt that we didn’t have the facilities or resources to add more. I mean, having grown up in the Middle East, and attended Smith College, I always knew that we were going to do programming for girls. I just wanted to be sure that we were ready to do it as well as we do programs for boys, and that our boys programs were solid enough to take on more. So we have focused on doing what we do, and doing it well. But lately parents have been asking us to do the same for their girls as we do for their boys, which means we’ve earned the trust of the community.

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Ellen writes in…

Back in April 2009, you graciously dedicated a post to Fugees Family needing bicycles. Would you be so kind as to post now about the Chase Community Giving challenge? On July 13, Chase Bank is giving away $5 million to the 200 charities that get the most votes on Facebook. Fugees Family is currently in the top 200, but we need people to keep voting if we want to stay there.

To vote: Go to http://tiny.cc/fugees250k

Click “get started” /Click “allow” /Click “like” /Click “close” / Click “vote now”

Tom’s post over at the Decatur Book Festival blog, reminds me that Daren sent me this announcement a few weeks back and I never posted.

Thanks to writer Warren St. John, the Fugees soccer team of Clarkston, GA has enjoyed a more than a brief moment on the national stage in the past couple years, which started with a front page NY Times story and was follow by a book (which, thanks to Daren, I received an advanced copy of).  There is even talk of a movie being made about Clarkston’s refugee soccer team and their chance creation by Decatur’s Luma Mufleh.

However, like all things that attract national attention, fame and support can be powerful, but also fleeting.  And when all is said and done, at the end of the day, it is local support that will make or break great organizations such as these.

With that in mind, here is the original note sent from “Fugees Family” member Allison Schafer, followed by a piece of Tom’s post, which serves as an update.

This summer Fugees Family will be having a 6-week Summer Literacy Camp at Agnes Scott College. We are looking to obtain close to 60 bikes in good condition for all of our older kids to ride to camp each day.

We are looking for bikes, mostly adult sizes but all the way down to what would fit your average 12 year-old. They should have working brakes, chains, seats, tires, etc.

We can provide a receipt of donation for anyone who wants one.

Please check your garages and check with your friends and e-mail if you have any bikes to contribute. We can pick up bikes from wherever they are.

Thanks for your help!

Tom’s update provides a bit more recent detail…

They’ll be riding from Clarkston to Decatur every morning this summer to attend summer enrichment classes, and riding back at the end of each day to go to soccer practice. They’ve had about 30 bikes donated, but they need many more.

Do you have a bike in good condition that you’d like to donate? Or would you like to volunteer to fix up the bikes they have? Do you own a bike shop and maybe would like to donate some tires and inner tubes? See below for details from the Fugees on how to help…