Soles4Souls on Fixing Your Feet

Fixing Your Feet is an E-zine (online magazine) dedicated to foot care skills, tips, techniques and products. Soles4Souls was in this Friday's edition.



FIXING YOUR FEET E-zine
Volume 7, Issue 8, August 2007

A GOOD IDEA: SOLES 4 SOULS

Soles4souls is dedicated to making a difference in people’s lives with the gift of shoes. Wayne Elsey founded the non-profit organization in 2004 after the tsunami disaster in Southeast Asia. Partnering with friends, local churches, and the media, over 250,000 pairs of shoes were collected. After hurricane Katrina, 750,000 shoes were distributed to needy people affected by the storm damage.

By estimates, over 1.5 billion pairs of shoes are lying idle in American closets. If you have shoes, of any style or size, please ship them using UPS Ground (usually the most cost effective method) to one of the two warehouses. For East Coast shipments, send them to Soles4Souls, Inc., 2064 Highway 431, Roanoke, AL 36274, For West Coast shipments, send them to Soles4Souls, Inc., Foreign Trade Zone #89, 6620 Escondido Street, Las Vegas, NV 89119. For information on tax-deductible donations, please call their hotline at 888-840-7074.

Shoe Drive in Arlington Mall

The Parks Mall in Arlington is getting involved with Soles4Souls to host a shoe drive all next month. Collection boxes will be set up at the Parks through September 30th so shoppers can donate new or gently used shoes for adults and children. Boxes will be at the customer service center in center court next to the down escalator.

Each individual who donates a pair of shoes will receive a special offer or discount from a retailer in the mall. For more information on how you can help the effort, visit http://www.soles4souls.org/ or call 1-888-840-7074.

Soles4Souls teams with World Vision

Soles4Souls has donated 40,000 pairs of shoes to the organization World Vision to be distributed in the Bronx area and beyond. World Vision is a humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice.

"World Vision is a high integrity organization," stated founder Wayne Elsey. "We know that the shoes are getting on the feet that need them."

Soles4Souls and World Vision were also featured on the local program OPEN in the Bronx. OPEN is a television program that help Bronx community organizations share information about issues and services. One particular segment showed Soles4Souls and World Vision staff handing out over 400 pairs of brand new tennis shoes to children at a local elementary. For most, it was an overwhelming gift to receive on the first day of school.

"I love my new shoes," said one smiling boy. "Now I don't have to wear my brother's old ones."

We need your Shoes!

At Soles4Souls we are always looking for new and better ways to meet the footwear needs of the hurting worldwide. There are people in all parts of the globe with no other access to shoes than those provided by the generosity of people and companies like yours.

It is amazing how a simple pair of shoes can make such a big difference in the lives of so many. Whether it is a child in a landfill in Tegucigalpa, Honduras or a homeless man in a city rescue mission in Nashville, TN, we are there distributing shoes to those in need, around the corner and around the world.

Unfortunately, shoes wear out. Our appeal is simple; do you have any sales samples that we can match up? Do you have any worn and damaged returns that you can part with? Do you have any seasonal footwear that is getting old?

Our 501 c (3) charity offers you an outlet for these products with potential tax advantages for your corporation.

Please give me the opportunity to share with you how you can make a difference in the lives of many with the gift of footwear. Together we can change the world one pair at a time.

Pastor in Thailand sends letter of thanks

This is a letter received from David and Pamela Yaylor, missionaries in one of the poorest parts of Thailand.

Dear Soles4souls, I would like to express much appreciation for shoes that were donated to Jennifer Soliz that were used in Sisaket, Thailand.

I am a missionary with the International Mission Board, serving the Kui people of Thailand. They are one of the poorest and least appreciated people of Thailand. Through your help, we were able to give people shoes and sandals along with information about Jesus Christ.

Furthermore, this helped us to build relationships in these villages so that we can go back and follow up with them.

Thanks again for helping us!

David and Pamela Taylor

Urgent Need for Footwear

Soles4Souls has an URGENT Need for Footwear and/or Cash for Shipping Shoes to Areas of Devastation.

As you are probably aware, Hurricane Season is now upon us. We already have responded to distress calls for footwear in Haiti, Jamaica, and other parts of the Gulf region. Our stock is in desperate need of replenishing and we need your help to reach out to people in dire need.

Hurricane Dean is now a Category 5 storm (the last one this large was Katrina) that is barreling toward Mexico and Belize. We know the damage from this storm will be serious and the proper footwear will be extremely appreciated for rescuers and individuals looking to rebuild from the rubble. Imagine trying to clean up in the dangerous aftermath while barefoot!

Please contact us at 866-521-7463 or email us at info@soles4souls.org. With your gift, we can make a simple yet extremely timely difference to thousands of people.

About Soles4Souls
Nashville-based Soles4Souls facilitates the donations of footwear, which are used to aid the hurting worldwide. Soles4Souls has donated more than 2.6 million pairs of shoes since its inception (one pair of shoes every 28 seconds). The charity will be featured in the coming days on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams (at least 7 million viewers guaranteed).

Shoe companies, retailers, and individuals can donate both new and "gently worn" footwear. Soles4Souls is a 501(c)(3) recognized by the IRS; donating parties are eligible for tax advantages. For more information about Soles4Souls, please call (866) 521-SHOE, or visit www.giveshoes.org or www.soles4souls.org.

Morgan Miller hosting event to benefit Soles4souls

To kick off a month dedicated to the Soles4Souls charity, Morgan Miller is hosting a launch event on Wednesday, August 22 from 5–9 PM. Customers who generously donate one pair of “lightly worn” shoes receive 20% off all merchandise, and those donating two pairs enjoy a 30% discount.



The boutique will be serving champagne and light hors d’ oeuvres as guests view new merchandise and create their own custom-designed shoes. The shoe drive and customer discount will continue through September 31.

Customers of Footwise Comfort Shoes give to Soles4Souls

What started as a simple shoe drive for one month has now grown into a year-round event. Orly Cohen, a certified pedorthist and owner of Footwise Comfort Shoes in Bellevue, started a shoe drive for Soles4Souls in early July.

A pedorthist is someone who has studied foot anatomy, shoe construction and has experience fitting shoes professionally. They design, manufacture, modify and fit shoes to alleviate problems caused by disease, congenital conditions, overuse or injury.

By the end of the month, Cohen had a couple hundred pairs of shoes donated through her store.

Customers donated by the bags full, leaving shoes piled in a Soles4Souls box that the store had set up near the cash register.

"We've had to empty that box four or five times," Cohen said. "We originally intended for the box to serve as a destination for people to place the shoes for donation, but a lot of our customers didn't even know we were doing the drive, so it's served as a good promotional tool as well."

Cohen sent out fliers to her customers advertising the drive earlier this summer. She had originally intended just to have the drive throughout the month of July, but because of its success, she's decided to do it year-round.

"I was not expecting this many donations," she added. "I am very pleased with the results, and I hope the donations will continue to come in."

Cohen heard about the Soles 4 Souls Foundation through her membership with the National Shoe Retailer Association.

"We didn't choose the foundation because it's local, but we like the connection," Cohen said. "Not only does this drive help people in need, but we also like the fact that it helps local Nashville business. You get when you give."

The store is planning to send its first shipment to Soles4Souls at the beginning of next month and then would be sent on a monthly basis. Soles4Souls is very happy to receive them.

"We've given to 35 different countries, but when the poverty level in Nashville is growing, we thought it was time to step up locally," Founder Wayne Elsey said. "Let's make sure that people here and in other cities in this country don't get forgotten. We just go out there and try to make a difference one pair at a time."