Although I’ve got baseball on my mind (Go Cubs!), American football season is well underway. Which brings to mind that Catania, Sicily’s second largest city, has an American football team. They are called the Elephants (after their city’s symbol, Liotru, the Roman-era volcanic sculpture in the Piazza del Duomo). My friend Alfred Zappala of You, Me & Sicily is the team’s general manager.

They are currently running a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for the team’s programs–both a men’s team and a woman’s team. Importantly though, the team promotes American football in the city’s critical areas, encouraging young people to participate in team sports instead of other less productive activities (i.e. the mafia). A small donation can go a long way towards field rental, equipment, and transportation to games. As Renato Gargiulo, pictured says, “[We are one] world family!” Check out their GoFundMe page at https://www.gofundme.com/2nf7vz24 to give.