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NYRed Bulls excited about Haiti service trip with Wyclef Jean Yele Haiti Foundation

NewYorkRedBulls.com

When they get on a plane together Thursday morning, New York Red Bulls Jozy Altidore, Jerrod Laventure and Seth Stammler know that they will not be going on any ordinary flight.

The three Red Bulls are traveling to the Caribbean nation of Haiti for a six-day service trip, partnering with hip-hop musician Wyclef Jean's non-political movement, Yéle Haiti. During their time there, the Red Bulls will hold soccer clinics for a sports non-governmental organization called L'Athletique d'Haiti, visit other Yéle Haiti initiatives and donate a substantial amount of equipment and apparel.

"I feel really lucky going there and I feel like I have so much just to learn, to go over there to see and take in," Stammler said. "But combined with that, going over there with the Red Bulls, I think that I have so much to offer them as well. It's a really good feeling."

The trip has extra significance for Altidore and Laventure, who are both of Haitian descent. Altidore's mother and Laventure's father grew up in Port-au-Prince and Altidore's father is from Les Cayes.

"This is my first time going there, but it's really my first time when I'm at an age where I can understand what's going on in the country," Altidore said. "I'm really excited to go there."

"For me, it's a very humbling experience," Laventure said. "I have a lot of family from there and for me, it's going to be a great experience to see where my parents grew up."

The Haitian-born Jean, who will accompany the Red Bulls on the trip, will be performing a free concert for an estimated 50,000 people - his first performance in Haiti since he was with the Fugees in 1997.

The concert is being held in conjunction with the third annual Jacmel Film Festival -- the only event of its kind in the country. The festival, in which all films are free, serves to provide a Haitian population that has over a 60-percent illiteracy rate with new models for community development, using popular mediums to engage and empower Haitian youth.

At L'Athletique d'Haiti, the Red Bulls will not only serve as coaches and referees, but also motivators to hundreds of Haitian children. This is something that the three Red Bulls players find exciting.

"I want these kids to have as much fun as possible," Altidore said. "I want to teach them as much as I know about the game and just have a good time."

Though they do not know exactly what to expect, the Red Bulls are honored by Wyclef's invitation to his native country and hope to make their mark during the trip.

"I'm very thankful just to be a part of this," Laventure said. "This is something that [Jean] definitely didn't have to do and I think we all appreciate it and we'll definitely enjoy it.

"For me personally, just to grow a little bit and to see everything and how they live over there, it should be a humbling experience."

About Yéle Haiti: Yéle Haiti is a non-political movement helping to provide both resources and inspiration to help change the country of Haiti. The power of music is being used to make a difference in a wide range of projects in the areas of education, health, environment and community development.

Yéle Haiti's long-term goal is to establish a network of centers throughout the country as a means of supporting youth development through education, vocational training, health services, sports and music.

For more information on Yéle Haiti, visit their website at www.yele.org. For more information on the soccer facility, L'Athletique d'Haiti, visit www.lathletiquedhaiti.com. For more information on the country of Haiti, visit https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications...k/geos/ha.html.

For updates of the trip and to keep track of Altidore, Laventure and Stammler's travels, log on to www.nyredbulls.com.