Soccer player Peterson Bonpied Jerome is driven by his twin loves of game and country. And now, 15 years after leaving his native Haiti to achieve the quintessential American dream, he is poised to contribute to his homeland at its time of greatest need.
Through his Haiti Youth Development and Education (H.Y.D.E.) foundation, Jerome has helped place promising Haitians with soccer teams around the world. His own experience as a young soccer player helped fuel his desire to see others get recognized.
"I was a very good player in high school, but my [own] community didn't know about me, while other communities were praising me," said Jerome, who grew up in Cap-Haitien, the second largest city in Haiti, located in the northern region. "They knew all about my life, but not my community."
Jerome took his skills all the way to the national ranks, representing Haiti at the Under-17 level. And it was during a stint with the U-17s that he made a life-changing decision: While in South Florida for a tournament in 1995, he informed his national coaches that he wouldn't be returning to Haiti with the rest of the team.
And so, with no family in South Florida but a brother who was in the country illegally, Jerome set about his new life in America. The goal, he said, was always to eventually help his homeland.
"I knew that the U.S. was the land of opportunity," Jerome said. "I decided to stay knowing that I had to go back to Haiti one day and help out."
Jerome, who said he didn't know a word of English when he arrived in the States, attended Piper High School in Sunrise for one year. It was there that he met a man who would become a point of inspiration for him: Coach Steve Lawrence.
No matter how good Lawrence knew Jerome was, his prize athlete was unable to carry his soccer skills to the college or professional levels because of his immigration status. Jerome did work out with Haiti's senior national team in 2004 when they played Jamaica at the Orange Bowl, and he was skillful enough to be invited to train with Major League Soccer teams Miami Fusion and New York/New Jersey MetroStars, though he couldn't sign with them because he didn't have a work permit. Still, Jerome expresses no regrets at not being able to carry his skills further, saying he did what he thought he had to do at the time when he left Haiti.
While thoughts of potential deportation would at times weigh on his mind during his illegal stay in the U.S., Jerome stayed focused on his aims.
"Definitely that crossed your mind, but my mind was preoccupied with soccer. That kept me out of trouble," he said.
Nine years after entering the country, though, he could finally breathe easy. Jerome got his immigration papers and a new lease on life. He immediately set about making good on his promise to help Haiti.
Through H.Y.D.E., he has helped a number of Haitian youths get situated abroad. Jerome cites former MLS player Fabrice Noel, former Denmark club player Peguero Jean Phillipe and ex-Miami FC player Stephane Guillaume as players who hit it big abroad. Jerome believes he has gotten more results with H.Y.D.E. than the country's soccer federation has achieved during its long association with FIFA, the sport's worldwide governing body.
"I accomplished more in four years than what the whole country accomplished in 105 years," he said.
In 2009, Jerome brought the worldwide One Day One Goal program to his hometown of Cap-Haitien. A partnership between Puma and the Peace One organization, which launched Peace One Day almost 10 years ago, One Day One Goal aims to promote peace throughout the world using soccer as a tool to foster cooperation. Jerome and organizers all around the globe hosted festivities on Sept. 21, the International Day of Peace, and he said people can't wait for the date to roll around again.
Aware of the transformative power of sport, Jerome hopes to expand the program to Port-au-Prince soon to ease the suffering that has enveloped the Haitian capital since the massive, deadly earthquake hit on Jan. 21. Jerome said 30 members of Haiti's soccer fraternity were killed in the quake, including 1974 World Cup hero Guy Saint-Vil.
"Peace One Day will be one of the major events that win the people back," Jerome said.
Jerome has met several star players during his time with MLS teams, including former World Player of the Year George Weah, Jamaican international Tyrone Marshall and U.S. World Cup veteran Eddie Johnson. He would like to bring them to Haiti to participate in his programs, but said he lacks the financial support to do so, funding the operation almost entirely out of his own pocket. Even more important than the money, he said, is the investment of time and energy necessary to do what he does.
"I know people that have tons of money that cannot do half of what I am doing with what I have," Jerome said. "The money wasn't even an issue for me, it's the sacrifice and the time and everything."
Jerome owns Freedom Tax & Multi Services, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in central Broward County, but he said his real job is helping Haitian youths through H.Y.D.E.
Crediting his activist work and desire to use soccer as a change agent in Haiti, Jerome is also the subject of an upcoming documentary film called For Game and Country.
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