Crowdfunding Wrap-up and New Goals for C4BF

First off, we would like to thank everyone who contributed to our crowdfunding goal. Every contribution makes a difference in the long run. Cleats for Bare Feet is focused on the idea of spending imagination before spending money. Our Cleats on the Ground program is a great example of that mentality.

Throughout this campaign, and long before it started, our sponsor greeNEWit has continued to support the C4BF mission so that we can continue to help players around the world play safer and reach their potential. greeNEWit has agreed to continue to help support C4BF for another year as we gear up for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

During the crowdfunding campaign, we learned an immense amount about ourselves. Through discussions with supportive organizations like Sports & Social Change and Coaches Across Continents, we are shifting our goals a little.

Over the course of the next year, we are aiming to collect 10,000 pieces of equipment and distribute at least 8,000 pieces to players all around the world before July 13, 2014; the day the World Cup ends. We have one year to date to nearly double our collections and distributions. We have absolute faith that we can hit this target and beyond.


Just like with the crowdfunding campaign, we will continue to need your support. Get involved in one of the following ways:

1. If you have equipment laying around your home, now is the time to get it to C4BF.
2. If your kids play on a team, spread the word to the coaches, teammates, the league, etc.
3. If you know of someone who needs equipment, send them our way.
4. If you, or someone you know, is traveling abroad and would like to experience social giving, let us know. With enough time, we can find players abroad who are in need of equipment.

Here is our progress so far:

We are also preparing to launch a new aspect of C4BF that will help local (Baltimore/DC Suburbs in MD) soccer clubs actively raise money for their teams. It’s called OUR Teams and the next blog post will cover the opportunity in more detail. Stay tuned.

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Why does C4BF give Cleats and not money?

Something we get asked frequently: Why do you donate cleats when you could just give money? Good question. With money donations we could repair fields, buy new equipment, or hire coaches. Sounds great right? In truth it’s more complicated than that, we have 3 main reasons why we give cleats.

1. Cleats are a solution. By giving soccer equipment we address a clear issue. People all over the world want to play soccer, but they lack the supplies to participate. We gather cleats, balls, jerseys, etc. and send them to places in need. Even on a small scale, this solves the problem, giving one person a pair of shoes gives them the ability to play soccer under any conditions they have to deal with. This is key. At any donation site conditions are variable, there may be a grass field but in a lot of cases the fields look like this:

Photo Credit

Most fields are dirt and many have nails, glass and garbage scattered throughout. This puts players, at risk for infections, cuts, and and other injuries. Giving cleats is a simple solution to all these risks.  We can give protection to players and allow them to play soccer pretty much anywhere.

2. Money is problematic.

Everybody needs, and can always use more, money! That's true, but in our case money has its setbacks. Building a soccer field costs over $20,000, but collecting financial contributions is easier said than done. People are more than happy to give away used equipment, but money is something people struggle to part with. This concept makes cleats, and other sporting equipment, a readily available resource that we can tap. 

Additionally, ensuring that the money is being used to the best possible effect would be very difficult. Our organization is based in Columbia, Maryland. Tracking funds all over the world would be near impossible with our current resources. Not only are we responsible for where the money would go, but we would have to make sure the fields were being built ethically, that workers were treated and paid fairly, that codes were up-to-date, and that building is environmentally friendly. 

C4BF feels that it can make the most impact by putting cleats on the feet of players.

3. Equipment is interactive

Our mission at C4BF has always been to connect people through soccer. Not only do we want to practically get shoes and balls to players, but we want to show people how they can easily affect someone else’s life. A cleat is more than just protection or equipment, it is a common bond. A jersey was once meaningful to a player in Baltimore and can now be given to a player in Senegal who will value it just as much, if not more. These players are now connected through a love of the sport and through Cleats For Bare Feet. It is so easy to help change someone’s life, especially in this global age, and all you need is a pair of shoes and an internet connection.

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152 Cleats, 135 Soccer Balls, 30 Uniforms, 30 Shin Guards - 1 Week!

This week at Cleats For Bare Feet, we connected with our newest ambassador, Devin Walford, originally from New Jersey and currently living in South Carolina. She is headed on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic and will be delivering nearly 50 soccer balls to kids who love to play soccer but lack some of the means to do so. Devin worked with a New Jersey uniform company to have uniforms printed for the members of the "Baston de Moises" team in the Domincan Republic. Afterward, she reached out to C4BF through our "I need equipment" section of our website. We are happy to announce that the shipment left our office on May 21 and has arrived with Devin. It will be living in South Carolina for a few days and then on its way to the Dominican Republic in the beginning of June. We wish Devin all the best and look forward to hearing about her experience with the team, her mission, and with Social Giving. As we get pictures, we will post them.

We also connected with 2 organizations that are based in Washington DC, but do work in Africa. Both organizations stopped by our office this week and picked up enough equipment to supply an entire village with gear.


The first organization, the African Volunteer Football Academy for the Less Privileged (AVFAL) provides soccer training to players, ages 8 - 21, in Cameroon. Working directly with the AVFAL's founder and president, John Kemoe Bengu, and the Secretary General, Ngole Cyril e setup a time to deliver 100 pairs of cleats, 50 soccer balls, 30 uniforms, some socks, and goalie equipment to ship over to the kids in Limbe, Cameroon later this year. Mr. Cyril was so excited when he picked up the equipment, he kept saying, "The kids in Cameroon are going to be so excited about this! You have no idea what it will mean to them."

On Friday, after working together for a few weeks we were able to connect with a member of the Propagand’Arts project and school based in Senegal. This makes our third distribution in Senegal this year. "The people in Senegal LOVE soccer," said Awa Daffe, our contact at the organization and person in chanrge of marketing and partnerships. With her help and connections C4BF will be distributing 50 pairs of cleats, 35 soccer balls, and 15 uniforms to the kids at her school. 

Friday's distribution also marked the first distribution our newest intern, Jessica, was able to participate in. The gentleman pictured was interning for one day as part of his high school graduation requirements. Jae Hoon spent the day helping us inventory items, and preparing the package for Awa to pickup. "That was a really rewarding day." 

That's how we feel most days. We are so pleased to be able to help so many people around the world play soccer safer and to reach their potential. Today we inventoried our 6100th item as well. Quite the first week for Jessica and the one day experience for Jae Hoon. SocialGiving at it's best! 

We're close to hitting our two week mark of our fundraising campaign, if you haven't contributed yet, do so before time runs out. 

CONTRIBUTE NOW!

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DC Scores...cleats and smiles

Cleats For Bare Feet not only does work all around the world, we do our best to make a difference in the community in which we live.

Last month we shared equipment with Soccer Without Borders who work with refugees who live in the Baltimore area.

This month we teamed up with DC Scores, an organization that runs after school soccer programs in low socioeconomic areas in our capitol. 42 schools and 1,450 students in total participate in the program.

We were introduced to DC Scores last year and were able to share equipment with them. This past week, we were able to supply two teams with much needed cleats and new shorts.

We met with Mr. Ross at MC Turrell, first, and shared cleats with 5 of their players.

From there it was a quick jaunt up to Adams Morgan to catch up with “Team Awesome” from the Oyster Adams Bilingual School. The Mighty Oyster Adams Student Council (MOASC) has been orchestrating an equipment drive since February. Our first stop by, in March, yielded 131 pieces. While this stop only brought an additional 59 pieces, the MOASC are one step closer to their goal of 250 pieces before the end of the school year.

The kids in the MOASC are exceptionally driven and passionate about helping other kids reach their potential. When we told them that equipment collected in March has already gone to help kids in Senegal, China, Uganda, and in the Baltimore area, they were absolutely thrilled.

Immediately following our collection event with the MOASC, we received a call from Sarah Jennings, the DC Scores coach at Garfield Elementary Prep. Jennings, originally of Massachusetts, is a member of the City Year program and has been coaching the DC Scores team at Garfield for the last few months.

Upon arrival Jennings made an overhead announcement calling all members of the team to the front office. Every member of the team came charging through the halls, getting some sideways glances from one of the teachers. The players sat down, took off their sneakers and we got started.

We are happy to announce that all 15 members of the team got fitted for cleats. While smiling for the camera is something that everyone hates doing, these kids were ecstatic. They had a game at the end of the school and these cleats would allow them play at their top level.

We’re glad to have helped and look forward to hearing how their game went.

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Baltimore's Soccer Without Borders...hooked up!

Imagine if you had to uproot and move to a new country. You don’t know anyone, you don’t speak the language very well, and, as if that's not enough, you have to go to a new high school. Coming to the United States as a refugee child poses many challenges. In Baltimore, as well as other places both nationally and internationally, Soccer Without Borders is using the soccer as a medium to “encourage healthy living while developing English-language abilities, teamwork, academic success, and cross-cultural skills”.

Soccer is an incredible sport: in every corner of the world the sport carries a passionate following. You can travel anywhere in the world and regardless of language or cultural barriers, as soon as a soccer ball is brought out, you instantly have a way to interact with the people around you. The students that are members of Soccer Without Borders in Baltimore originate from a multitude of countries. Baltimore's chapter includes students from Palestine, Eritrea, Somalia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nepal, Palestine, Cameroon, South Sudan, Nigeria, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Guinea, among others. Although they shared the same challenges coming to America, most of students could not understand each other and many of them did not initially like each other either. However what they all shared was an incredible love for the sport of soccer- or “football” to them.

This is what soccer means in their lives:

C4BF recently stopped by SWB to size up and share cleats with members of the Baltimore team who needed a a pair for the start of the new season. It was great to see the just how universal and upbringing the sport of soccer can be. 



In other news, we are looking to continue to build our SWB connection by having a friendly little match. A C4BF vs. SWB soccer game is being scheduled for later this spring (Andres Camacho from C4BF is an Arsenal fan and has a couple things to settle with SWB's players who are Chelsea and Manchester United fans). "I guess Andres doesn't like winning" said Warshan, a sixteen year old from Iraq. Members of the greeNEWit office will also be joining in to help out the 5 person C4BF team. Should be quite a match! We'll let you know more as we do.

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