EDMONTON – My goal is to encourage student-athletes to use their platforms to help individuals and organizations locally, provincially, and even nationally.
Those were the words from NAIT Ooks Women’s Soccer midfielder Sarah Moorji (Edmonton, Alta.) when she was describing her latest initiative. The fifth-year student-athlete is gearing up for her final season with the Ooks on the field, and she’ll be giving back to a school that’s close to her heart.
Throughout the 2022 season, Moorji will be donating one book for every goal scored by the Ooks Women’s Soccer program to St. Edmund School in Edmonton.
St. Edmund School is an elementary/junior high school located in Edmonton and is a school that holds a special place in Moorji’s heart.
“Since it’s my fifth and final year as an Ook, I wanted to incorporate someone or something that has influenced me to become a better athlete and individual,” said Moorji. “St. Edmund School allowed ime to grow as a person and really understand what it takes to become a well-balanced student-athlete.”
“Everyone associated with St. Edmund School were kind, caring, and accepting. Therefore, I knew for my last year that I wanted to dedicate a fundraiser to them.”
Moorji will be donating the books to the St. Edmund School library. With 12 games on their regular season schedule this season in the ACAC, there’s the potential for a sizable donation to the library at year’s end.
The initiative is nothing new for Moorji, as she has been a part of several others since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic back in 2020. Along with two other individuals, Moorji helped to create a soccer camp for kids to escape the pandemic lockdowns and stay active. The virtual clinic ran every Saturday for kids between the ages of 4 and 15.
“I coached technical drills, skills, and game-like scenarios while having fun competitions and interactions with the kids,” added Moorji. “Each weekend, the number of kids increased and their love for the sport was so resilient.”
“The camp was noticed by Edmonton, British Columbia, Calgary, Ontario, places in the United States, and in third world countries.”
Moorji has also created a fundraiser in honour of her late grandparents. She was able to fundraise $3,000 to support individuals and third world countries who do not have access to the basic necessities of life such as water, food, and basic clothing. It also supported emergency preparedness and recovery methods.
The proceeds all went to the Aga Khan Foundation, an organization that both Moorji’s parents loved.
Any individual who donated to her fundraiser was invited to a virtual soccer clinic that Moorji coached herself.
Moorji is a two-time ACAC All-Conference student-athlete as well as a CCAA Academic All-Canadian, and she hopes others follow in her footsteps with her latest initiative. Moorji is hoping to inspire other student-athletes from across the ACAC and all of Canada to use their platforms to help others across Alberta, Canada, and the World. The Ooks kick off their 2022 regular season on Sunday, September 11th against The King’s University Eagles.
- T. Bennett
All-Canadian Sports Network 