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Six years ago, Sam Shapiro’s family adopted a 15-year-old boy from Cite Soleil, Haiti. A few years later, in June 2015, Shapiro wanted to learn more about where his brother grew up, so he visited his brother’s hometown.
What Shapiro saw was a small city where 100 percent of the population lived in poverty. He saw homeless children with no access to education, activities or safe spaces to play. He also saw a run-down, abandoned basketball court.
Shapiro couldn’t fix everything. But he could do something.
“I thought athletics could be used to give kids opportunities for organized activities that could keep them off the streets,” said Shapiro.
A year after his first visit, Shapiro returned to Cite Soleil with his friend Jack Moe. The next month, Shapiro and Moe – then 16-year-old sophomores (大二学生) at the Blake School – formed a nonprofit, called “Sprint to Cite Soleil”, to benefit the city’s youth.
The core program of Sprint to Cite Soleil is basketball, but it also consists of nutrition and community-building to benefit children aged 5 to 18.
“Our mission originally was to provide a new basketball court,” said Moe. “But we soon realized that a lot of kids wanted to play basketball, and more than just a court was needed. We sent jerseys, basketballs, basketball pumps and shoes. Hundreds of kids showed up for a clinic.”
They soon hired 10 coaches and four cooks to prepare nutritious meals for the 160 boys and girls who train every Saturday and Sunday.
And they hired director Joseph Sadrack, a local native, whom Shapiro calls “trustworthy and right for the leadership position ...”
From the start, Shapiro, Moe and Sadrack agreed on how the program should develop.
“We are very much a partnership,” said Shapiro. “Personally, I’ve seen a lot of organizations trying to help in foreign countries. They have their own mindset and want to do things their way.”
“I’m not living there,” he continued. “I don’t know what they need. Before any decision is made, we ask Joseph, ‘What can we do?’ and, ‘What do they need?’”
Now sophomores in college – Shapiro at Wake Forest University in North Carolina and Moe at Stanford in California – they continue their work as co-presidents of the nonprofit.
Shapiro said it’s been a rewarding experience.
“I’m proud that, despite the somewhat of a language and cultural barrier, we’re able to communicate,” said Shapiro. “I’m proud that others believe in us and trust us. That’s what we’re most proud of. Being able to create it and maintain it.”
1. Why did Shapiro go to Haiti?
A. To visit his brother.
B. To do a part-time job.
C. To help his family adopt a kid.
D. To learn about his brother’s hometown.
2. What do we know about Sprint to Cite Soleil?
A. It is only run by two American boys.
B. It makes profits from the local government.
C. It stopped after Shapiro became a sophomore.
D. It provides resources for children and teens.
3. What does Shapiro learn from the program?
A. The language barrier is a big problem.
B. It will be great for his future career.
C. It is difficult but gives him a good feeling.
D. It is too expensive but he will continue.
