Michelle Akers Horse Rescue

Due to the last three months of unprecedented rain in the Atlanta area, our farm experienced major flooding and water damage. After 3 weeks of steady rain, one night we got over 20 inches and our pastures began to flood and fill with water. I kept watch by the window all night and with each lightening strike I could see the water getting higher and higher. I had put the horses out in the pasture thinking they would be safer there, but it looked to be deeper out there than the barn, so I decided to get them all in the barn. I waded out into the pasture with a flashlight in water up to my belly button and put my hand around Handsome's cheek and asked him to come in. The water was kind of swift and I had to hold on to him as we made our way back in. I was praying the other horses would follow and no one would lose their minds and start running like wild banchees. God forbid I got hurt in the process. Who would rescue me? When we made it to the barn, my heart was pounding and I hugged Handsome grateful for his cooperation.

At sunrise, I called my buddy asking her to come quick and get the horses out... and when she finally got there, I had barely been able to open the stall doors because of the water height inside and was waiting for her with two in a trailer ready to go and the other two on lead ready to go in my other trailer. The water was still rising fast and by the time we left it was over 4 feet into the barn and we barely made it off the property with water over our bumpers as we drove out. Our pygmy goats, nicknamed The Babies, almost drowned as we were loading the horses. Thankfully, we got everyone loaded just in time and ran down to their pen and grabbed them off the bench just as the water reached their little feet. We threw them in the garage with prayers and food and ran to our trucks to make our way out of there.

Thankfully, we were able to find a way (many roads were flooded) to a local boarding facility who loaned me 2 pastures for my horses and after settling them in, I drove back home to see how much higher the water had risen. I had to park at the top of my driveway and wade through the water to my house... which thankfully sits up on a hill. The dogs were in a frenzy inside the house and the goats were ba-haaing up a storm in the garage, but everyone was safe. The view from the house of the pasture and barn now was total water, lakefront. All the stuff in the barn was floating down stream/lake and soon, I expected the Ark to float by as well. Thankfully, most of what was damaged wasn't that valuable, but 80 bales of hay was lost, as well as, all my power tools, feed, and medicine. Our John Deere lawn mower was completely submerged and I thought for sure it was a goner, but once it dried out, it cranked up and ran fine. Mostly, it was all just a big mess and would ultimately take months to clean up.

Everyone except the goats are back in the barn and I have only the essentials in the feed room i.e., a few bales of hay, feed, meds, grooming stuff, blankets, etc. The goats now live in the back yard by the pool in a vacant shed made into their cozy house. They have eaten all the plants back there and leave pellets all over and in the pool, but they are so cute (and safe) I forgive them instantly.

The property is one big mud hole and now the horses spend most of the 24 hours in a foot of slop. I have made some improvements...minimal grading, added rock/gravel and drains around the immediate barn area, gutters, and my Dad and I built a wall to keep the water at bay at least during the normal rainy days. Over all, it will take around $50,000 dollars to make repairs and grade the property to drain properly and prevent future flooding. The only way this can possibly happen is for me to do it slowly over the years or figure out another way... which led me to the decision to auction off some of my soccer memorabilia from past World Cups, Olympics, and awards over the years. Steiners Sports will be handling a few selected items and we will make an announcement in the next days regarding a date, etc. After that, we will see how it goes. The other plea I make is to fans of the game and animal and horse lovers...your support and donation will be much appreciated and I am hoping to fix this place up so I can continue to help people and horses together. -Michelle Akers, December 2009

Make a Secure Donations through PayPal

Boston Breakers Show Support for Michelle Akers Horse Rescue
All money from season tickets sold between now and December 18th go to the efforts

December 10th, 2009

Dear Breakers Fans & Soccer Lovers,

Hello everyone and Happy Holidays. I am writing you today to share a story about a great soccer legend and one of my favorite players – and people – Michelle Akers. Personally, I had the honor of coaching Michelle Akers on the U.S. National Team for many years and during our 1999 World Cup victory. She was one of the most intense competitors and – quite simply – the greatest players the women’s game has ever seen.

In an effort to pay for repairs, Michelle announced plans to auction off her personal mementos and memorabilia from World Cups, Olympics and the rest of her legendary career. This would be a tragedy if it were the only remedy. When I heard of this plan, I immediately said “there has got to be a better way than this”. Michelle is going through a difficult time and needs some assistance and if you know Mich, she is not going to ask for any help.

The Breakers organization feels a special connection to Michelle Akers. As many of you will remember, Michelle suited up as an honorary member of the Boston Breakers for her tribute game against Mia Hamm and the Washington Freedom at Nickerson Field in the fall of 2002. Nearly 11,000 Breakers fans came out that night to celebrate her legendary career.

Breakers General Manager Andy Crossley and I have both made personal donations to the rebuilding effort. If you would like to join us by making a tax-deductible donation to assist Michelle with the restoration of her horse refuge, you can make as secure online donation here.

In addition, we are pleased to announce the Boston Breakers organizational contribution to this effort. The Breakers will donate 100% of the gross sales of all new 2010 full season tickets purchased between today and Friday, December 18th at 5:00 PM Eastern time to the Michelle Akers Horse Rescue and Outreach farm. If you live outside the Boston area, or even outside the United States, we still encourage you to purchase season tickets in any price category and the Breakers will donate your seats to our ticket fund for underprivileged children to attend games during the 2010 season if you cannot put them to use yourself. And again, 100% of your season ticket price will be donated back to help Michelle Akers get her wonderful program back on solid ground. Call 781-251-2100 and ask to speak to a Breakers account executive before Friday, December 18th to get your season tickets and lend a hand for a great cause.

Please forward and share this and/or email to people on your distribution list that can appreciate Michelle’s situation. Send to people that are thankful for her role in developing the game of soccer and especially women’s soccer worldwide and may feel inclined to help her in this time of need.

Thank you.

Tony DiCicco
Head Coach
Boston Breakers

DONATE ONLINE OR CALL 781-251-2100 TO PURCHASE BREAKERS SEASON TICKETS, WITH THE FULL AMOUNT GOING BACK TO MICHELLE AKERS HORSE RESCUE & OUTREACH, INC.

How You Can Help
There are several ways you can help:
1) DONATE - Any amount will help.

Secure Donations through PayPal

Or mail a check to:

Michelle Akers Sundance Horse Rescue & Outreach, Inc
214 E. Lucerne Circle

Orlando, FL 32801

2) SPREAD THE WORD - Forward an e-mail or send the link:
http://www.soccerpluseducation.org/michelleakers/michelle_akers_horse_rescue.html

A Letter From Rob Raju, President/CEO of Axiom Sports and Entertainment
As you may have heard, unprecedented storms have struck the Michelle Akers Horse Rescue farm. Four-feet of rain water overwhelmed the barn and destroyed some of the pastures.

She almost lost everything including all of her horses. Fortunately, Michelle was able to get the rescue horses Zoe, Ruby, and Carlos out in time. Saving the horses and farm required her to work tirelessly for 48-hour stretches.

With the storms passing, the effort to rescue the farm is underway. But the storms left considerable damage. More than $50,000 in repairs to the barn and pastures are necessary to get the farm in working condition again.

Last week Michelle informed me that in order to fix the farm, she has decided to auction off/sell all of her personal soccer possessions including Olympic and World Cup memorabilia. All of the medals, rings, trophies, balls, jerseys and Rolex watches which are of significant value will be up for sale so that she can save her farm and continue to rescue and rehabilitate her horses. Needless to say after hearing this I was absolutely horrified and tried to put a stop to it and asked her to give me some time to explore other avenues to assist her. However, Michelle insists that “It’s is not a big deal…All this stuff was just sitting in a closet anyway and my animals are way more important”. She reinforced to me that she needs to repair her farm immediately or her animals could suffer. Time is of the essence.

To help alleviate this challenge, I am asking you to consider donating to the Michelle Akers Rescue Program, a recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. With your help, we can bring back the farm so that more rescue horses can find peace.

Many Thanks,
Robert Raju