The first time Louisville men's soccer coach Ken Lolla toured Edge Outreach, he was so moved by the organization's efforts to bring drinkable water to underdeveloped regions he knew his players had to see it for themselves.
''I felt very sure that once the players went through the same kind of tour and same education they would understand the value and significance of what they're doing,'' Lolla said, who first heard of Edge Outreach while doing a public service announcement for the organization last fall.
The response from the Cardinals overwhelmed their coach and helped lead to an unlikely detour on a long-planned spring break trip to Brazil.
While Louisville will still play a handful of games against Brazilian club teams, the Cardinals will also spend a portion of their 10-day journey helping Edge Outreach members teach local volunteers how to properly install water purification systems in rural communities.
Edge Outreach, based in Louisville, trains 300-400 people a year how to use the systems in hopes of halting the spread of waterborne diseases in underdeveloped regions of the world where potable water is a rare commodity.
''Bad water kills more people every day than armed conflict, HIV and cancer combined,'' said Bob Browning, training and field operations manager for Edge Outreach. ''It's staggering.''
The typical trainee is a missionary or humanitarian heading to places like Latin America and India. The Cardinals are not the average trainee. That's not a bad thing, said Browning, who pointed out soccer can become a unique vehicle to get the word out.
''The problem of waterborne disease is very prevalent in parts of the world where soccer is the biggest and greatest game,'' he said. ''I think it will take the biggest and greatest game to tackle the biggest and greatest problem of our day.''
The players spent a weekend at Edge Outreach's headquarters last month going through ''Water School.'' They learned how to properly install and operate the $3,000 purification systems that can generate up to 38,000 gallons of drinkable water a day.
The machines themselves are a relatively simple contraption that includes a car battery and salt, which work together to help create chlorine gas that cleans the water and makes it drinkable.
Putting it together the right way, however, is critical. So is teaching communities how to properly use the clean water once the system is installed.
Besides providing drinking water, Edge Outreach also focuses on educating people on the importance of proper hygiene. Browning said 30-35 percent of diarrhea diseases can be prevented by frequent handwashing.
The Cardinals mission in Brazil is twofold: Along with instructing volunteers on how to get the system up and running, they'll speak to underprivileged children around Sao Paulo about how to stay healthy.
Not exactly the spring break the Cardinals had in mind when the trip was initially planned a year ago.
That's fine by Lolla, who has made community service a focal point since he came aboard in 2006. The team works with kids every Friday as part of a mentorship program and conducts soccer clinics across the area.
The trip to Brazil is out of his team's comfort zone. That's kind of the point.
Louisville has soared under Lolla, winning the Big East championship last fall and advancing to the NCAA title game before falling to Akron. The team's success has made the Cardinals a hot ticket in the area and given them a platform Lolla wants to put to good use.
''The lesson is that we've had a tremendous year this year and we have a chance to make a significant impact on our community,'' he said. ''We have an opportunity to create awareness about something that is much larger than us.''
His players have bought into the idea, literally. The Cardinals took up a collection to purchase one of the purification systems with money out of their own pocket.
Lolla still plans on using the five exhibition games as a chance to get a headstart on the 2011 season. Yet the games have become secondary.
''I think this is something that we're not going to really understand or appreciate until we're back,'' Lolla said. ''We have a chance to really make an impact on people's lives.''
