Our Story

As a student athlete, the ability to learn and stay focused is important. It is also important to have the proper equipment; especially footwear.

My name is Audrey and I started Soleful Sports in 2022 when I was in 8th grade. It began when one of my teammates on the basketball team needed a good pair of shoes for the court. The shoes she was wearing for practices were not athletic shoes and she was slipping all over the court. I gave her an older pair of basketball shoes of mine that were still in good condition that I didn’t need anymore, and she played in them all season. Even more important, she didn’t suffer any injuries and played really well. I later learned that many kids at my school did not have the right shoes when playing sports and were possibly going to have injuries.

That’s when I came up with an idea. I started to leave a bin at my school for families to fill them with gently used athletic shoes that they no longer needed. Once the bin was full, I would clean up the shoes and give them to youth athletes needing them at my school. Our donations have grown and we now started to give shoes to athletes in Fresno Unified and in underserved communities throughout the Central Valley.

I have been playing sports since I was 5 years old which have included ballet, soccer, softball and my favorite; basketball. These activities have taught me focus, teamwork, perseverance and goal setting. Most importantly, the activities have brought me joy. All youth athletes should get to experience the same thing and Soleful Sports wants to share in that!

Soleful Sports has a growing inventory of donated athletic shoes and starting an inventory of athletic clothing such as softball pants and socks. Please spread the word about Soleful Sports and help us continue to support youth athletes throughout the Central Valley!