My Friend Lucas Lee

While I was in South Africa on our amazing trip with my fellow FUNDaFIELD friends, I met someone who became my friend. This someone is a student at Mdluli High School and is enthralled by school and the opportunities that it can provide to anyone. My friend’s name is Lucas Lee and he is 17 years old and he played on my team in the Mdluli High School World Games. He was so grateful with what he had, even though it was not much at all. He played the game of soccer with a smile on his face that showed he enjoyed life. He had so much fun at the tournament, whether it was playing soccer, walking around, or dancing on the Coke stage. He was very generous and would never let me carry my backpack; he insisted that it was too heavy for me. If we would take a seat he would stop me and dust off the chair to ensure that I didn’t get dirty. The players of the tournament were given a lunch, and even though it was not much Lucas raved of how good it was and that how he was so full.

When Lucas and I were playing together on the England soccer team in the tournament he did something that showed exactly how nice he was. The team was short on jerseys so he was passed his jersey around, and even gave his spot up to a kid with a physical handicap. The kid had one leg that was shorter than the other and walked with a severe limp. Most likely he had never played in a game before and he was so happy to be playing. So at that moment I fantasized for Lucas, I dreamed of him coming to America.

I wanted, and I know Lucas wanted, for him to play soccer here in America, go to a University, and see other life styles. I brought this idea up to Garret Weiss, the Executive Director of FUNDaFIELD. He was very into the idea of my scholarship program, and we talked to the principal of Mdluli High School about Lucas. He said that Lucas was one of the best students and that he loved going to school. This gave us the spark that we needed to boost the scholarship foundation. Lucas deserves this more than anyone I could imagine. He taught me many things while I was there and I will never forget his passion for living, and his love for family and friends. I’m guessing that our trip there, the field, and the tournament enriched his life, but I know that meeting Lucas Lee has changed my life. He made me look at differences all across the world, he showed me never to be down, and always be happy with what you have. Thank you Lucas!