Through Soccer, USF's Lee Brings Help and Hope to Haiti
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, FEB. 15, 2018 – Using the sport of soccer as her platform, USF's
Malani Lee continues to bring lots of help and hope to underprivileged children around the world.
The junior forward from Plymouth, Mass., has made community service a priority since the sixth grade, when Lee started her foundation called "Cleats for Kids." Since then, Lee has gathered and distributed more than 1,000 pairs of donated cleats to kids in Haiti, Jamaica, West Africa and the United States.
"My dad was always really big on donating. When I was little, he used to go to Tanzania and Jamaica," Lee said.
Since being inspired by her father, Christopher, to start her own foundation, Lee has become passionate about directing her goodwill efforts to Haiti, where she's visited twice annually since her junior year of high school.
"The kids play barefoot on fields of rubble; there isn't a blade of grass in sight," Lee wrote on her foundation's online page. "The Haitian kids are my inspiration. I'm most impressed with the unbounded joy they bring to the field."
After starting with strictly donated soccer equipment, Lee now raises $3,000 annually for Haiti and she had a big helper with her on the trip this past December. Sophomore midfielder
Anyssa Ibrahim jumped at the opportunity to make an impact with the
Haitian Initiative.
"I saw on her Instagram that she was going to Haiti," Ibrahim said. "I was like, 'Next time you're going, I'm coming.'"
As Bulls united for a great cause, Lee and Ibrahim visited Cite Soleil, an extremely impoverished location in the
Port-au-Prince metropolitan area. Together, they delivered four huge crates filled with cleats, shin guards and soccer balls during the day.
"It's known as the most dangerous place in Haiti," Lee said. "There's a lot of gang violence. We never see it because there's a rule that you have to be out of there before sundown."
Lee and Ibrahim also spread some holiday cheer by decorating two schools for Christmas and dishing out nearly 650 gift bags filled with toys, candy and school supplies for kids.
"My dad always says giving a kid a pencil in Haiti, Tanzania, or places like that, it's like the same as giving a kid an iPhone here," Lee said. "That's literally how happy they get."
Lee and Ibrahim also provided school teachers with plenty of notebooks, coloring books and instructional materials for students ranging from 4 all the way up to 14.
"We went to a school and gave them out," Ibrahim said. "They were so happy just to get that. It makes you feel fulfilled for what you have."
The thoughtful Bulls also brought 60 jump ropes, which proved to be popular items for the thankful children. Other partners in the initiative brought soccer attire and boxing gear to help fill the need of interest for the growing sport in the country.
"A woman said before kids were just jumping over lines, back-and-forth, back-and-forth," Lee said. "Now they have jump ropes to practice with."
After the weeklong trip, Lee is already preparing for her summer mission to Haiti and she's looking for help. Lee, Ibrahim and other members of USF women's soccer plan to place soccer gear donation boxes at Bay Area schools, where they'll talk about the cause and their experiences as student-athletes.
Soon, USF Athletics also will have a donation box in place at the Lee Roy Selmon Athletics Center. Lee thanks people in advance for contributing and said there's always a need in Haiti.
"Every time we go back down, there's always something happening down there," Lee said. "They always have to rebuild back again."
About USF Women's Soccer
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The USF women's soccer team has posted six consecutive seasons of 10-plus wins and eight in the last nine years under head coach Denise Schilte-Brown. The Bulls made their first NCAA tournament appearance in 2010 and returned in 2014, 2015 and 2017.
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