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 I don't know if anyone still pops in to check this site from time to time but I love having a record of our partnership with Sakala so I am updating it here anyway! In 2020, we officially celebrated 10 years since Stanley's homecoming and he wanted to do something to commemorate that. SO, we started a simple Facebook fundraiser, hoping to raise a few hundred dollars. But, almost $5,000 later, we decided that we would celebrate 10 years with $10,000 in 2020. Then COVID hit. The world shut down and people understandably focused on their families and their own communities.  Meanwhile, life was only growing more difficult on our favorite island. Years of civil unrest culminated in the assassination of Haiti President Jovenl Moise on July 7, 2021 and then on August 14th Haiti withstood the unthinkable- another earthquake . This one was on the southern coast- near Stanley's hometown of Les Cayes. Les Cayes is simply one of the most beautiful places on earth and the images of th...
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Stanley Simonsen, who was born in Haiti, and his mother, Monica are headed back to Haiti this summer. They will once again visit Sakala , an organization that seeks to develop children and young adults in Cite Soleil through sports, agronomy, and education. Help the Simonsen family support the incredible work at Sakala by making a tax-deductible donation below.  Whether you want to make a personal donation to sponsor an athlete or some of their "Waste to Wealth" community development initiatives (e.g urban garden, gift shop) OR if you want to pool your resources as sponsor a team, we appreciate your contribution.  DONATE HERE 1. Decide whether you want to sponsor an individual athlete or team at Sakala or you want to direct your generous donation to one of their education or community development projects. 2. Click here to make your tax-deductible donation. Be sure to write "Simonsen Project" in the notes. OR 3. Contact monica.simonsen@gmail.com if...
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Haiti 2019! After more than a year of dreaming about our next trip to Haiti, Stanley and Monica are returning for a little mini-trip as an add-on to a family wedding trip to the Dominican Republic. Stanley, "We can't go to the Island without going to Haiti..." One of our goals for this trip will be to scout out accommodations and logistics for our next trip. We are planning to return to Haiti (probably in 2020) with a kids and families (do you want to join us??). We will host a sports exchange program and have our kids play against/with the Sakala kids as well as learn about the culture in Haiti. In addition to scouting, we once again want to find ways to support our friends at Sakala and are thinking about how best to do that now. We know that they really need resources to grow their programs (including sending kids to school, buy food, pay for transportation, etc.) but we also want to take advantage of our checked luggage and fill it up with supplies. We will be put...
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Our new friends are putting things to good use!

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Looks like this update was not published back in the fall 2017... My apologies! As we settle back into reality and gear up for the holiday season, we are increasingly grateful for having had the opportunity to meet the kids at Sakala.  We wanted the boys to feel connected to the country and to see how much they had in common with kids halfway around the world. I think they were genuinely blown away by the skill and toughness of the young Sakala athletes. When they heard that Stanley was a goal keeper, they all wanted to shoot on him but were surprised when Stanley wouldn't dive on the HOT PAVEMENT to block their shots. These kids were used to playing barefoot and were tough as nails! Mike's mom has said since coming home that at first, she wasn't sure that raising money for soccer uniforms was the best investment- I mean, don't they need so much else? But, as a friend of Stanley and Dane's said, "these kids deserve new stuff too." We all know how it fe...
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Final Days in Haiti

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Most of the people reading this blog contributed money, soccer balls, jerseys, equipment and good vibes to our project and we could NOT be any more grateful!  After leaving the beautiful coast behind, we traveled back to the place we'd stay in Port-au-Prince, called the Haiti Communitiere  (HC).  I am not writing this blog as a travel guide so I haven't included reviews, etc. of everything we've done so far but if you are interested in a UNIQUE experience, consider staying there.  It is part campgrounds, part hostel and totally special.  The lodging options consist of a few converted shipping containers and a few upcycled huts (made of recycled tires and bottles and mud) that were all designed to be low-cost and safe housing options.  The walled off grounds include these containers, some compost toilets, showers, a communal kitchen and a few gathering spaces.  The kids were able to just run free and play with the adorable dog, chase chickens, and play ...
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Visiting Sakala!!! The trip to Sakala was everything we hoped- the organization and its founder, Daniel Tillias, are amazing.  He literally constructed a sanctuary of hope and peace in the middle of an area of Haiti that is considered "trash." He talked again and again about how his goal was to build the self-confidence and resiliency of these kids so that they may have bigger dreams and a pathway to achieve them.  We only delivered equipment and stayed for a day, but he told me directly then and since that our visit and the knowing that so many people were behind the donations, had a profound impact on the children.  To know that people you've never met think you are WORTHY of new things and DESERVE to have a safe place to play and be a kid is, in itself, valuable. Speaking of playing- these kids were amazing!  These kids, mostly playing barefoot on hot concrete, had crazy footskills and stamina, despite not having sufficient equipment.  When we arrived, th...
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Beautiful beach resort for the first few days! Even though we had Wifi service the whole week, we didn't bring a laptop so it was hard to update this blog on our trip.  We were also too busy enjoying the amazing scenery, people and food that is Haiti.  Here are a few pictures from our first few days at an all inclusive beach resort about a hour from the airport ( http://kalikobeachclub.com/ ). We drove there late Sunday night and I think the kids were a little overwhelmed by the traffic.  Between the trucks with no lights on, the motorcyclists flying by and the people and goats walking in the streets, the ride was an adventure in itself.  The beach resort was beautiful and we practically had the place to ourselves.  We each stayed in our own little "huts." We ate great food (three buffet meals a day!), took a quick water taxi ride to see the coastline and played in the water and the pool.  On Tuesday, we were picked up in a tap-tap and taken to another ...
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