Charity is fun! Football mad Rio Russell is collecting second-hand soccer boots for children in Haiti. <em>*Photo by Kageaki Smith</em>
Charity is fun! Football mad Rio Russell is collecting second-hand soccer boots for children in Haiti. *Photo by Kageaki Smith
Want to help?
If you would like to donate a pair of old football boots to Rio’s appeal you can head down to the North Village Community Club field on Wednesday or Friday at 4:30pm when Rio finishes training.

You can also contact his mom, Alicia Russell on 504 7585.

The charity collection will end on January 20.

If you can help Rio get the football boots to Haiti contact his grandma on 238-1829.
A six-year-old boy has started a second-hand football boot collection for less fortunate children in Haiti.

Rio Russell launched the appeal when he saw Haitian youngsters playing football barefoot on television.

The youngster decided there and then that he wanted to do something to help them “have some fun”.

With the help of his grandma, Vickie Richardson-Grimes, the youngster has already collected 23 pairs of old children’s football boots.

After Rio has finished polishing off the boots to make them look like new, they are destined for the mission house in Delmas, Port au Prince, which helps feed over 300 young people.

Lots of people helped

Rio told the Bermuda Sun: “I saw on TV that the children in Haiti just did not have football boots.

“I love football and play for North Village so I decided to start collecting old boots.

“Lots of people have helped and given me their old boots.

“The children in Haiti should be able to have fun.”

Rio began the charity appeal at his football club, North Village Community Club, last December.

Club officials helped him design a letter, which he penned himself, asking for children to donate their old football boots to his “Old Football Boot Drive”.

He and his family have enlisted the help of the Cornerstone Foundation to find a new home for the old boots.

Mrs. Richardson-Grimes said they had received incredible support from the community.

She added: “We are still trying to see what the best way of getting the old boots out to Haiti is.

“At the moment Rio is still cleaning the boots so they look like new for the children in Haiti.

“We would really appreciate any help or advice on how to send this big parcel to Haiti.”