Former GCA star honored by Catchings’ foundation

<p>Cameron Northern’s reputation as a high school soccer player is secure after scoring 108 goals in her career and assisting on 42 others.</p><p>The recent Greenwood Christian graduate is a force off the field as well.</p><p>On June 4, Northern’s desire to give back to her community and beyond earned her notice from the Catch the Stars Foundation founded by former Indiana Fever forward Tamika Catchings.</p><p>Northern had been nominated for the award in February by Sue Tameling, the former Greenwood Christian athletic director who passed away on April 5 of an apparent heart attack at the age of 58. Tameling was supposed to have joined Northern for the event, which wound up being a virtual ceremony due to the COVID-19 pandemic.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]<p>Thus, the honor is bittersweet.</p><p>“It’s obviously very sad about Sue’s passing. She was a great mentor for me,” Northern said. “I would see her in the hallway and she would stop and ask about the game the night before. Really, just an amazing person.</p><p>“I bet she’s looking down and rejoicing for me and providing this blessing for me and my family.”</p><p>The Catch the Stars foundation’s mission is to empower young persons to achieve dreams by utilizing programs promoting fitness, literacy and youth development.</p><p>Catchings presented Northern a check for $20,000 for her to use toward her college tuition.</p><p>Northern will pursue a double major of criminal justice and psychology while playing soccer at Huntington University, a NAIA school. The Foresters are in the 10-team Crossroads League along with the likes of Marian, Bethel, Taylor, St. Francis and Indiana Wesleyan.</p><p>Northern’s interests away from soccer are varied and admirable.</p><p>“It’s a great honor,” Northern said. “I attended Tamika’s banquet in the sixth grade, and it was a goal of mine to get back there.”</p><p>Northern’s desire to give back began earlier than that.</p><p>At age 7, she started Nyaka, which raises money to help provide food, water, education and shelter for orphans in rural southwestern Uganda. Northern has raised in excess of $100,000 since its inception and has twice been on mission trips to Uganda to experience the difference her efforts have made.</p><p>Locally, Northern has helped lead TOPSoccer, a program for special needs girls and boys, at South Central Soccer Academy for the past six years. As a GCA sophomore, she started the Cougars Care Philanthropy Club as a means of teaching fellow students about the importance of addressing the needs of their community.</p><p>Northern, who has spent most of her life making a difference, wants others to realize they possess the same potential and to act on it.</p><p>“Cameron has a passion for kids and just has a heart to give back,” said Greenwood Christian girls basketball coach Alan Weems, who had Northern on his team during the 2018-19 season. “There was just a different personality from her that stood out from the rest.</p><p>“It’s that smile. She has the ability to put people at ease because of that smile. Cameron can change the world because she’s going to take the initiative and step out of her comfort zone. She got a great heart from God.”</p>