May 31, 2006

Click here for part I of the Rwanda photo gallery
Click here for part II of the Rwanda photo gallery

Excerpted from Gary D'Amato's feature story, which appeared on Tuesday, May 30, 2006 in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

Mission was one-on-one for Mitchell
Trip to Rwanda touches MU coach
By GARY D'AMATO

In a dusty village outside Kigali, Rwanda, dozens of children surrounded Terri Mitchell. Someone produced a beat-up soccer ball. A makeshift basketball hoop went up and a language barrier came down.

For a few minutes, laughter filled the air as Mitchell showed the children how to dribble and shoot.

If only, Mitchell thought, the smiles weren't so fleeting. If only these children didn't have to go to bed hungry and cold. If only they had more than just the filthy clothes on their backs.

"There were points where I said, 'My heart is full. I can't look at these kids anymore,' " Mitchell said. "The kids are what got me. So many kids."

In her 10 years as the women's basketball coach at Marquette University, Mitchell had been on countless recruiting trips, selling herself, her program and the university. Earlier this month, she went on a different kind of trip.

For the complete text of the article, click here.