Ethiopia

Hey there Cleat for Bare Feet followers! Our first shipment and donation of sporting equipment for the summer has been sent, thanks to original Cleats for Bare Feet team lead Keith Meyers. Meyers is traveling to Africa for four months and will visit Ethiopia, Kenya and possibly some other countries. He left July 6th with a shipment of cleats and other equipment.



So far, he visited Ethiopia and went to the Abebech Gobena Orphanage School, where he met the owner herself. Not only does Abebech Gobena run the successful orphanage, but her personal story is truly inspiring. You can read it here: Africa's Mother Teresa: Abebech Gobena. While on site, Meyers and his team at HRB Movement received a full tour of the orphanage.

The C4BF team donated 35 pairs of cleats, 15 pairs of shinguards, 8 pairs of socks and two soccer balls to the orphanage. Gobena also gave the HRB Movement team a tour of an Ethiopian Orthodox Church that no westerner has ever seen before. She has been an inspiration to the C4BF team and we look forward to supporting her organization with future donations!

The HRB Movement team with Abebech Gobena



“With your help, we’re lending a helping hand to a foot in need.”



Meyers says hello from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

This photo depicts the impact the Cleats for Bare Feet team is trying to make. These cleats were primarily collected from the 2012 Mason Dixon Cup in Hagerstown, Maryland. A special thank you to Elite Tournaments and all those who donated! Keep following our blog to find out where the rest of the cleats end up! Thanks for supporting the C4BF movement and helping us share the love of the game worldwide.

Read More

Shipment to Haiti

We met our goal! On August 4, 2010, Cleats for Bare Feet shipped out 28 boxes of cleats, uniforms, balls and more that will make their way down to Haiti. 

We have collected more than 1,000 pairs of cleats and we could not have done it without your support. Thanks and keep on spreading the word.

Read More

Frederick County Summer Soccer Camp Collections

Cleats for Bare Feet has been growing grassroots support from individuals assisting with collections. This summer, Meghan and Sabrina Ziegler will be coordinating the following collections sites:

Frederick County Soccer Camp

at Urbana High School

June 21 - 25

OHS Youth Soccer Camp

at Oakdale High School

July 26 - 29

The collections are during those schools summer soccer camps, but the Ziegler's are happy to take other cleats, shin guards, balls and jerseys. Email zieglerfam5@yahoo.com with any questions or for donation information.

Read More

Thunder Collection Date Changed

The collection for Thunder Soccer Club at Schooley Mill Park has been postponed until May 24 due to rain. Bring your second-hand cleats, balls, shin guards and jerseys to contribute to a great cause!

Read More

Thunder Soccer Club

Cleats for Bare Feet has teamed up with Thunder Soccer Club to hold a collection site at the team's club-wide training sessions. We will be collecting on the May 10 and May 17. Players can bring used cleats and other soccer equipment directly to their practice. C4BF will be set up from 5:30 to 7:30.

If you have any questions, please contact Keith at kdm8302@uncw.edu.

Read More

Donations to Ignite a Dream

Today Cleats for Bare Feet shipped a donation of 25 pairs of cleats to the Ignite a Dream Foundation in Austin, Texas. Ignite a dream has structured soccer programs in order to provide encouragement, positive reinforcement and tools for youth to reach goals. We know the cleats will get great use from the children that receive them.

Thanks to everyone who donated and to CV Restoration for helping with shipping.

Read More

Memorial Day Tournament: Columbia Invitational

Cleats for Bare Feet will be holding a collection at the Columbia Invitational Memorial Day Tournament May 29-31, 2010. Games will be played on fields across the city of Columbia. Cleats for Bare Feet will be set up at the following fields:

Covenant Park

Howard Community College
Cedar Lane

Cradle Rock School

Alpha Ridge

Jeffers Hill

Thanks to the Maryland Soccer Program for their collection at their game against Akron. They won 3-1 and collected two boxes of cleats for us. If you would like to help please email Keith at kdm8302@uncw.edu or call him 410.916.8338.

Read More

SAC Collection

The Soccer Association of Columbia has just commenced its Cleats for Bare Feet collection. The collection box is a big wooden bin, marked with fliers, located next to fields 1-4 against the tot-lot fence.

We also want to thank the UNCW men's team, UNCW women's club team, Cradle Rock School and Manor Woods Elementary for their participation in our collections. Whether a collection is big or small, every single pair will result in another child with a smile and an opportunity. Thanks for contributing.

Read More

Texas State Cup: Women's Open

This weekend, the Texas State Cup: Women's Open will be an official drop off location for Cleats for Bare Feet! Good luck if you are playing in the tournament. If you're going to be in the area, feel free to drop by to watch some games and bring some cleats.

Have questions? Email Keith at kdm8302@uncw.edu or call 410.916.8338.

The tournament is at:

Northeast Metropolitan Park (NEMP)

2703 Pecan St.
Pflugerville, Texas 78660

Read More

Soccer Saves Lives T-shirts

We'd like to promote the student project of a current Oakland Mills High School senior Kevin Sullivan. It's great to support local initiatives, especially when they involve projects that really encourage young people to learn the importance of giving. We ask that you take the time to ready about Soccer Saves Lives and the impact it will make.

The description goes as follows...

Soccer Saves Lives is a student-led organization out of Oakland Mills High School that aims to educate teens and adults alike on the HIV/AIDS epidemic in West Africa. It is common that West African countries may not be given the same attention as other areas of Africa who have significant problems with HIV/AIDS. However, in Nigeria alone, more than 2.5 million people have AIDS. The suffering is real, but the possibility for education and prevention of HIV/AIDS becomes increasingly more likely if we act now.

Soccer Saves Lives sells t-shirts for the cause and uses the international connector of people, cultures and races to help raise money and supplies for children in West Africa. With the help of our community, and particularly the soccer community, Soccer Saves Lives can provide the resources and education our brothers and sisters in West Africa need in order to live HIV/AIDS free

As part of this initiative, 100% of the money from t-shirt sales will go to hospitals and youth organizations in West Africa who can provide direct aid for those most in need. Thank you for your support and let us as a community put a kick against HIV/AIDS!

T-shirts are only $10. Buy one to wear around town, while practicing soccer or to sleep in. Buy them for your intramural teams, summer leagues, etc.

Read More

Collections, Collections, Collections

This weekend we have boxes set up at Covenant Park for the Baltimore Mania tournament by Elite Tournaments. If anyone wants to donate cleats, the boxes will be located right next to the tournament tent.

Additionally, we have recently picked up our collection boxes at the Soccer American store locations, and are happy to report three full boxes of cleats, shin guards, balls and shirts. Thank you to everyone who donated. The boxes are still there so if you still want to donate cleats just drop by the stores.

Read More

Columbia Flier Article

Thank you to the Columbia Flier and columnist Stan Ber for including Cleats for Bare Feet in the sports column of this week's issue. We appreciate the help they have given us to get the word out. Thanks for lending a helping hand to a foot in need

Read More

Park and Friends School

We would like to extend a big thank you to both Park School and Friends School of Baltimore. Both schools recently finished their cleat collections. Each school was able to collect around 30 pairs of cleats.

Each collection, no matter how small, is helping us out. This is really the grassroots way of going about making a difference. To all of the schools, clubs and businesses still holding collection sites, keep up the good work.

Read More

March Mania Tournament

Cleats for Bare Feet will be collecting at the upcoming Amanda Post Memorial March Mania Tournament.

There will be various collection boxes situated throughout the complex. Anyone with a question during the tournament can speak with a Cleats for Bare Feet representative with a collection box.

Boys Weekend March 6-7, 2010
Girls Weekend March 13-14, 2010

Anyone who has questions before the tournament can contact Keith at kdm8302@uncw.edu or (410) 916-8338.

Thank you to Elite Tournaments for allowing us to collect cleats at the tournament and for spreading the word. Good luck to all the players!

Read More

Maurice the Footballer

The picture below is of a second grade boy named Maurice. He lives in the West Nairobi province of Kenya; Cleats for Bare Feet Team Leader Keith Meyers and Payam met him at the orphanage where they volunteered for several months.

He is very athletic and loves to play soccer (he calls it football). As shown below, he has no shoes to play in, so he plays barefoot. Despite not owning a pair of soccer cleats, he can juggle the ball really well for a kid his age. With shoes, he might be able to go out for one of the local soccer teams. He is one of our many inspirations. Because of dedicated kids like Maurice, Cleats for Bare Feet was created to make a difference in their lives of youth across the globe; supplying them with sports equipment that we take for granted and usually throw out once we grow out of them.

Maurice and his peers will soon receive soccer cleats that will allow them to take part in their love of the game!

Read More

Collections are Up and Running

Lots of good news from Cleats for Bare Feet. In less than five days, our Facebook group has almost 700 members! People have shown a lot of interest, either by asking how they can donate cleats or help out in other ways.

Collection centers are currently under way! We now have collection boxes in Calvert Hall and the Park School in Baltimore, Maryland. We will soon have collection centers in some Maryland club teams and through the Soccer Association of Columbia, as well as in some Howard County, Maryland public schools and universities. We will soon be collecting through club teams in Virginia, Connecticut and North Carolina and at the University of North Carolina in Wilmington and McGill University in Montreal, Canada.

Keep checking in for updates and find those old cleats hiding your garage or basement and donate them to make another kid's life that much more fun!

Read More

Introduction to Cleats for Bare Feet

CLEATS FOR BARE FEET is a social project by greeNEWit that collects boys and girls second-hand cleats (athletic shoes) and sporting equipment and sends them to children all over the world. Cleats for Bare Feet has collected more than 5,000 pairs of soccer cleats for distribution among various organizations in Haiti, Kenya, Jamaica, South Africa and the US.

With your donation, each pair of cleats will help children everywhere run faster, play better and connect through the love of the game.

(Cleats for Bare Feet has had its first meeting and is in the process of finding recipients for cleat donations, funding to handle shipping costs and instituting drop off and collection centers. We will be sending cleats to many grassroots organizations, including Shangilia and other similar organizations in Kenya, Senegal the United States, etc. We intend to expand our base of sponsors, partners and supporters to include schools, soccer clubs, collegiate and professional teams, and most importantly, dedicated individuals. 

To become a sponsor, partner, collection center or to simply donate a pair of cleats, please contact one of the following people:

Cleats for Bare Feet: c4bf@greeNEWit.com

Keith Meyers: kdm8302@uncw.edu

Payam Sohrabi: bamboozleFCB@yahoo.com

Jonah Meyers: jmeyers1@umd.edu

Cory Marcon: cmarc20@gmail.com

Montrey Robinson: mar7272@uncw.edu

Read More