Monday, January 15, 2007

Digital Fusion in Huntsville, Alabama, holds internal shoe drive for Soles4Souls

Denise Morell, coordinator of the Digital Fusion, Inc. Running Club, heard about the Soles4Souls organization through Fleet Feet Sports and knew that it was a great mission worthy of support. Although Denise knew that Fleet Feet was in a position to reach a large number of runners, she decided to help the project reach out to non-runners as well.

Denise told a few of her co-workers and within a couple of days, she had already collected two full bags of shoes for donation! At this point, she decided she wanted to make it a corporate wide collection.

For more information on Digital Fusion, Inc., visit their website at www.digitalfusion.com.

The Shoe Lounge in Rancho Sante Fe (CA) is holding a Shoe Drive!

On Friday, January 26th, The Shoe Lounge in Rancho Santa Fe, California, will be holding a shoe drive at its store. Bring your 'gently worn' shoes into the store and receive 15% off toward a new pair of shoes! For more information, contact The Shoe Lounge at:

The Shoe Lounge
16077 San Dieguito Dr.
Suite B3
Rancho Santa Fe, Ca. 92067
PHONE: 858-759-4195

Friday, January 12, 2007

Shoes being collected for donation to needy (Lucy Boutique in Oakmont, PA)

Lucy in Oakmont (PA) wants your old shoes.

The boutique is collecting used footwear in any condition on behalf of Soles4Souls, a nonprofit group founded in December 2004 after a tsunami hit Southeast Asia.

Soles4Souls facilitates donations of shoes to people around the globe who need them, including in the United States, Africa, Sudan, Venezuela, Honduras, Ecuador, Southeast Asia and the Dominican Republic.

Lucy will accept shoe donations through February. Drop off your women's, men's and children's footwear during the shop's regular hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday; and 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursday. All donors can register for a $100 gift certificate giveaway offered by Lucy.

Lucy is at 510 Allegheny River Blvd., Oakmont. Details: 412-820-2410.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Little Richard Steps In

AT WSA CONCERT, SINGER AND OTHERS WILL PAY TRIBUTE TO THE GODFATHER OF SOUL

ENCINO, Calif. (Jan. 8, 2007)--Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Little Richard will replace James Brown as a featured performer February 1 at the WSA Show Opening Night gala. The evening, a benefit, will pay tribute to the venerable "Godfather of Soul," who died this past Christmas at the age of 73.

"With the untimely and sudden passing of James Brown, we sought to add a performer who epitomizes the roots of rock 'n' roll," said Diane Stone, chief operating officer of WSA Global Holdings, LLC. "Little Richard is the perfect choice."

The original concert lineup of "The Legends of Rock 'n' Roll" remains otherwise intact. Jerry Lee Lewis, Mary Wilson, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and Booker T. and the MG's will join Little Richard in the exclusive performance, which benefits charitable organizations Soles4Soles, Inc. and the Two Ten Footwear Foundation. "It is unheard of for a slate of performers like this to appear anywhere," Stone said.

Brown's sudden death, due to complications from pneumonia, left concert organizer Soles4Souls, Inc. less than a month to find a musician fit to fill Brown's shoes.

"We're very excited that Little Richard will step in and do a tribute concert with us," said Chris Carmichael, spokesman for Soles4Souls, Inc., a prominent footwear charity. "He's a legend in his own right. Anytime we can have performers from the Hall of Fame is great--especially with such short notice."

In Brown's honor, Soles4Souls has pledged to donate 100,000 pairs of shoes to the needy throughout Africa this year. This is in addition to current donation pledges the Nashville-based charity has already made to the region.

"We were initially very excited to have the Godfather of Soul to represent Soles4Souls," Carmichael said. "We had a friendship with James Brown, not just a business relationship. We want James Brown's mission to live on and Little Richard is going to help us with that."

Little Richard seems a fitting replacement for Brown, as both had a large influence on each other's musical careers. Brown once credited Little Richard as his idol for "first putting the funk in the rock 'n' roll beat." Like Brown, Little Richard is known for his explosive on-stage energy and soulful lyrics. On Brown's passing, Little Richard told MSNBC, "He was an innovator, he was an emancipator, he was an originator. Rap music, all that stuff came from James Brown." Concert tickets are still available at $70 each, which includes a dinner and cocktail reception before the show, to be held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Monday, January 08, 2007

Fort Walton Beach Shoe Drive a Success!!

Our experience with Soles4Souls has been overwhelming! The Fort Walton Beach High School Beta Club partnered with Mary Esther United Methodist Church and a local shoe store, Ron's Hush Puppies Shoes. We have collected around one thousand (1000) pairs of shoes! The response to the shoe drive was fantastic. We had Soles4Souls donation boxes and banners at all locations during the month of December.

The support was such a blessing and we know that many lives will be blessed due to such generosity. The professionalism of the staff at Soles4Souls made the community outreach so easy. A special thanks to all of the students and teachers at Fort Walton Beach High School, members of Mary Esther United Methodist Church and the staff and customers at Ron's Hush Puppies Shoes. It is so great to see the cooperation of so many to make a success of the shoe drive for Soles4Souls.

Shelby Garriga
President, FWBHS Beta Club