Language barriers, geographical backgrounds, and personalbeliefs matter little on the soccer field. The only thing thatmatters is having a good time.

To illustrate this, The International Rescue Committee issponsoring a soccer match between newly arrived refugee childrenand SMU soccer players hoping to ease the children’stransition to the Dallas area.

The City of Dallas has officially declared this Saturday”Absolutely Incredible Kids Day.” To celebrate andhonor refugee children of Dallas on this day, the IRC and the Cityof Dallas are pairing up to host a free soccer game at Glenco Parknear SMU from 2-5 p.m.

“Soccer is the world’s most popular sport; thesekids played the game in countries all over the world before theyresettled in America,” student coordinator of the match andIRC volunteer Mo Alturk said. “It’s a way for us toprovide them with a touch of home.”

The game will feature members of the SMU varsity team in a gamesurely to showcase their talent. The children will then receivecoaching of their skills and play in a match refereed by the SMUsoccer players.

The event will include refugee children from all over the worldwho have found safety and a new home in Dallas. The IRC works withthese children on an individual basis to ease their transition,help ready them for a solid education, and connect them to theAmerican culture.

“The real win will be to see the looks on their faces whenthey get to play with SMU players,” public relations directorfor the Dallas IRC, Karla Roberts said. “This will be a bigday for the kids.”

The Refugee Learning Center located at the North Park TerraceApartments provides refugee children with tutoring, field trips,and individual counseling free of charge.

For more information about the soccer match and other IRCservices, contact Karla Roberts at 214-461-9781 or [email protected].