Niko Roros, a 24-year-old soccer player and youth coach from Baltimore, Maryland, raised almost $6,000 to benefit children’s charities in Greece by running 12K around the Italian city of Rome on June 12.
Roros spent the past year living in Rome while studying at the Soccer Management Institute to receive his master’s in sports management and soccer coaching. He also played as a goalkeeper for the soccer club Rome City SC.
Roros has joined an initiative called Team Greek America, a virtual team of athletes organized by the New York-based Greek America Foundation. The funds raised from the goalkeeper’s race around Rome — which he personally created — benefitted the foundation’s #ChildrenOfGreece campaign supporting six charities in Greece.
Roros’s route for his 12K around Rome included stops at the most iconic historic sites such as the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Altar della Patria, Pantheon and Fontana di Trevi, among others.
“I was inspired to join the movement after seeing all the great work of the Greek America Foundation and how Team Greek America expresses our heritage to the world,” Roros said. “For me it is important to take the inspiration that I received from others in my life and give it back in any way I can.”
As of April 2021, the Greek America Foundation’s #ChildrenOfGreece campaign has disbursed $40,000 to its beneficiary charities. The organization posts regular updates on its website.
Roros said the foundation’s campaign resonates with him personally due to his belief in child welfare and access to basic resources such as food, shelter and education.
“Children are innocent in this world and only as good as the situation they are put in. The faults of the world are not theirs to burden right now,” he said. “The future will never change unless we help the kids of today become the leaders of tomorrow.”
“This fundraiser is the start of many projects that I hope to be a part of with the Greek America Foundation,” he said. “With this I want to show the Greek community — and the world — how you can help make a difference. “
Watch the video recap of his run
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