Inspired by teammates, Lehi soccer club donates uniforms to kids in Haiti

Inspired by teammates, Lehi soccer club donates uniforms to kids in Haiti

(Courtesy Shae Goodwin)


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LEHI — Soccer players from the Utah Arsenal Soccer Club are gathering their old soccer uniforms, including jerseys, shorts, socks and shoes, and bundling them up to send to children in Haiti.

The idea came from 12-year-old Mackenz, who, along with his two brothers, Lorenz (11) and Benji (9), were orphans in the impoverished country just 18 months ago.

It was in November 2012, when Shae Goodwin took a humanitarian trip to Haiti, where part of her mission was to photograph orphans. What Goodwin didn't expect, was that she would fall in love with the children and leave with the unshakable desire to adopt.

"When I got back home, I had a fire under me, and I knew that if my husband, Bill and I didn't act right away, nothing would happen," Shae Goodwin said.

The couple, who have four older children, recently became empty nesters.

“When I went to Haiti, I had no idea that I would fall in love with the children,” Shae Goodwin said. “We expected the adoption process to be a difficult and lengthy one, and were prepared for the road ahead.”

But, in what they described as nothing short of a miracle, the Goodwins were able to adopt three boys less than a year after beginning the adoption process.

Shae Goodwin

"We brought the boys home on a Thursday night, at the end of February 2013,” Shae Goodwin recalled. “It was cold outside, but the boys grabbed a ball, went outside barefoot and started juggling in the cul-de-sac we live in. They just assumed everyone did that."

It was then when Goodwin remembered what a big part soccer played in the boys' lives.

"Education is hit and miss in Haiti," she said. "When they were not in school (which was often) much of their free time was spent playing soccer, barefooted, using a water bottle as a ball."

Knowing her boys needed to have some familiarity in their new life, especially not knowing anyone or speaking any English, Goodwin signed them up for city league soccer.

"Their first game was really quite funny to watch," she said. "I had no idea how good they actually were until that day. The boys would chip the ball over the other player's heads. I knew then that I needed to get them into something more competitive."

So, in May 2014, the boys tried out for Lehi based Arsenal SC with all three making teams, and the older two earning positions on the same team. All boys would have the same coach Tom Fisher.

Fisher and Goodwin recall the transition from playing street ball to organized soccer, being fairly smooth with only a couple of hiccups.

Shae Goodwin

“When they came to the first practice I had the team doing their warm-ups and stretches,” Fisher said. “Almost immediately, they turned around and went back to their mom’s car. Shae told me later that the boys were frustrated because they 'came to play soccer, not to do yoga.'"

With the help of Fisher, their teammates, and supportive parents, the boys were able to get used to the routine of playing team soccer. There was one thing that was still a challenge for them, however: wearing cleats.

“The boys were so used to playing with no shoes at all, so wearing cleats was very difficult for them,” Goodwin said.

They eventually got used to cleats — so much so, that Mackenz wanted all his friends back in Haiti to have full uniforms to play in.

“Mackenz told me that he knew orphans in Haiti who would die for a new uniform, and said that he wanted to collect uniforms to "send a message of hope."


Mackenz told me that he knew orphans in Haiti who would die for a new uniform, and said that he wanted to collect uniforms to send a message of hope.

–Shae Goodwin


This would not be the first time Mackenz wanted to help the people in his home country. Just months earlier, he returned with a group of professional dancers, to teach the children dance, as well as to send a message that anything is possible.

“I return to Haiti every 12 weeks for humanitarian efforts, and to give the boys a chance to maintain their connection in their home country,” Shae Goodwin said.

She will be making a trip to Haiti the first week in July where she will hand-deliver the uniforms collected.

“In Haiti, there is a 78 percent unemployment rate, with 50 percent being illiterate,” Shae Goodwin said. “The ability for the kids to play soccer is huge. It’s more than soccer; it is camaraderie for kids who don’t have a lot.”

Goodwin and her sons will continue to collect clean sets of uniforms, bundled the way demonstrated in this video created by Mackenz.

If you would like to donate, contact Shae Goodwin at shaegoodwin@gmail.com.


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About the Author: Arianne Brown -------------------------------

Arianne is a mother to six young children. Her down time is spent running the mountain trails of the Wasatch Mountains and beyond. Contact her at ariannebrown1@gmail.com, follow her on Twitter @arimom6 or search her Facebook page, "A Mother's Write."

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