Ignite International is the realization of a dream planted in the heart of former collegiate volleyball coach Judy Fox while competing on a sport mission trip in 1989. As a college graduate the month before, she stood in the 1968 Olympic venue in Mexico City…
“It was competition, it was an intense atmosphere of competition. It was reaching out to kids, it was getting to know people of different cultures, it was seeing different countries. And more than anything, it was sharing the one thing in life that can really make a difference, the love of our Creator. It was relevant, and where I had seen for years so many people that had no interest 'church', here we were at a game….it was that simple, a game….it was packed!! And we gave them the same Hope in an environment they actually wanted to be in. It was at that moment that the thought hit me and has never left – I could do this forever!”
At the core of Ignite International is relationship. Without it, words don’t matter. And with it comes an unstoppable power to be an agent of change in a world that is not crying out for another lecture, but for someone who will walk the road with them. It is the ultimate objective of Ignite International to build deep, meaningful relationships and to see that those who enter our path for any length of time be encouraged, enriched and empowered to become everything they were created to be.
Whether on a playing field in a foreign land or a gymnasium here at home, Ignite International exists to use the language that is a uniquely common passion for 90% of humanity as a tool to break down barriers and reach into hearts. Whatever the division, whatever the desperation, the common ground of sport participation breaks through walls and allows the love of God to invade any environment. Relationship through sport transcends culture, oppression, freedom, poverty, wealth - without Hope, life is not worth living. With it, the human experience can connect to Eternity in a deeply powerful way that can transform one's sphere of influence.
"It is my firm conviction that we can take a kid out of their comfort zone, expose them to a world much bigger than what they know, and in doing so see them come home with their life completely changed....so that they can make a difference HERE in their own sphere of influence!! THAT is how we can change our nation."
Judy Fox, Ignite Founder and President