Denise Leinhardt has been visiting the island repeatedly accompanied by her husband Julian and their two daughters Samantha,13 and Carli, 11.
They have been coming to the island as a family every summer for the past 12 years, and spend six or seven and sometimes eight weeks here, as well as one week during the winter months. Over the years the family made many wonderful friends among Arubans here and has become very close to many of the people working and/or vacationing on the beach.
The family’s ties to Aruba deepened last year when they jointly decided to open their home in the USA to Gregory Richardson, a young Aruban they met on the beach. Greg has made an impression and touched the family’s heart, Denise explains, with his story, and his personal struggle to support and educate himself, while excelling at sport especially soccer, and working full time.
Born in the village of Noord, Greg lived with his family until his mother got sick when he was just eight years old. As a sensitive, kind-hearted and well-mannered kid Greg’s life must not have been easy during those years shuttling between relatives and different schools, ending up in Curacao, and finally returning on his own to Aruba, having basically raised himself since the age of 12.
After graduating school Greg began working on the beach and playing soccer for the local Deportivo Nacional team on Palm Beach. He has played soccer all his life but became serious about it while he lived in Curacao.
Denise recalls that they all spent a great time on the beach each summer where Greg could always be found with his soccer ball, dancing around, and practicing, between working hours. The family simply fell in love with him, and decided in August of 2011, to invite him to the USA and enroll him in a soccer academy. “It has not always been easy these last 10 months,” Denise reports, “but it has been worth every second, knowing that we helped make his dream a reality.”
Greg is currently playing for the United States Soccer League PDL/Schultz academy and is waiting to be placed on a permanent team. Schulz Academy, a premier youth soccer academy headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, now counts a talented, light on his feet player from Aruba among its students and coaches call the house on a regular basis. “We all know he’s going far in his career and we could not be more proud of him,” Denise shares.
Pictured here the Leinhardt family with Greg.
