Giving Back

For 24 days this summer, Eric Orsini traded footballs and playbooks for groceries and goodie bags.

As his teammates huddled together in the weight room preparing for the upcoming season, the Cardinal Mooney senior lineman was roughly 2,750 miles away tackling his own mission.

Orsini, along with his girlfriend, Liz Velez, traveled June 19 to Peru and spent nearly a month volunteering in the village of Zapallal, located about two hours outside of Lima. It was Orsini’s first mission trip.

Orsini and Velez began talked about doing a mission trip at the end of March. After looking at several options, they decided it would be more fulfilling to start their own.

Orsini and Velez eventually settled on Peru. Velez’s mother was born in Peru, and she still has family there.

Orsini and Velez created their mission — Finding a Path with Christ in Peru — and immediately began raising money for their trip. The two raised roughly $3,300, which they used to buy food for the villagers.

Orsini, who doesn’t speak Spanish, traveled back and forth between Lima, where he was staying with Velez’s grandparents, and Zapallal four days a week.

During each visit, Orsini provided food, such as soup, chicken and rice, for roughly 130 villagers. He also gave them money twice to buy their own food.

“They gave us the change back, which I thought was really interesting,” Orsini says. “They don’t have as much as I have, but they are a lot happier than I am most days. It changes your perspective.”

In addition to buying food, Orsini and Velez also taught an English class and read books and played games with the children. With each visit, Orsini formed a tighter bond with the children, particularly a 5-year-old boy named Iker Bances.

“He always wanted hugs and to curl up in my lap,” Orsini says. “It was a lot more fun than I expected it to be. They were all so little and they all wanted to be picked up. They all loved me and wanted to give me hugs. It was so cute.”

Orsini planned to teach the children how to play football, but, without a football in sight, he picked soccer instead.

The day before Orsini was scheduled to leave, he and Velez used the money that was leftover to throw an Independence Day party for the villagers complete with hot chocolate, sandwiches, games, goodie bags and visits from several Disney characters.

As he boarded a plane to head back home, Orsini couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness at the thought of leaving his new friends behind.

“They kept saying, ‘Eric, please don’t go,’” Orsini says. “They’ve sent me letters saying they miss me and to please don’t forget them. They didn’t want me to leave.”

BACK ON THE FIELD

It’s been nearly a month since Orsini returned home and he’s still thinking about his friends in Peru. But he’s happy to be back on the practice field with his teammates.

Orsini is the lone senior on Cardinal Mooney’s offensive line who has played for the team since he was a freshman. It’s a role Orsini embraces as the back-to-back district champion Cougars find themselves preparing for their toughest schedule to date.

“I definitely want to see what we need to improve on,” Orsini says. “We lost some very good seniors, and this is going to be the hardest season we’ve had in a long time. I just want to show people that we aren’t the same team that played Braden River (in the spring game).

“We’ve definitely improved,” Orsini says. “We’re more mentally focused and in a lot better shape, and we’ve also become better and closer friends.”

But, no matter what happens on the field, Orsini has learned to value each moment.

“I never want to feel sorry for myself,” Orsini says. “Even when I’m fatigued during a game, I just have to take what life throws at me. Everything happens for a reason, and if this is my last season playing, I want to give every play 100%.”

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].

IN HIS WORDS 

Who is your favorite player? 

Odell Beckham Jr. I love his expression on the field, and he plays for my favorite team, the New York Giants. The plays that he’s made are definitely exciting plays to watch. I’ve been (following) him since college, so when his name was called on draft night I was so happy. 

Who is the one player on this team who doesn’t get much notoriety but is instrumental to the team’s success?

Alex Sobczak. He’s loud during games and he makes some big plays on the field. We definitely need him on the field because he’s very fast. 

Do you have any pregame rituals?

I listen to a certain playlist on my phone, and I go around to all of the offensive linemen, who are my best friends, and get them hyped up. I always take a pregame photo, too. 

What’s your favorite pregame meal?

Chicken Alfredo.

If you weren’t a lineman, which position would you want to play? 

Tight end. I played it for one season when I was younger, but then I gained 30 pounds. I love catching the ball in space and then going one-on-one with a safety and hitting them really hard. I just like  catching a lot and having people be like "How did he do that?" 

Why did you choose No. 56? 

It’s my Dad’s favorite number. His favorite player is Lawrence Taylor, who wore 56.