North Carolina Store has Sole

From MountainTimes.com:

Who would have thought that just by doing a little spring cleaning in your closet you could help change the world? The people at Soles4Souls had just that idea.

In 2004, just after the tsunami devastated coastal communities around the Indian Ocean, a loosely-knit group of individuals and organizations came together to assist in the recovery effort by providing one of the most basic needs for people who have lost everything – shoes.

By the time Hurricane Katrina hit the U.S. Gulf Coast, the group was more organized, and through their efforts, almost a million pairs of shoes were collected to help those in Louisiana and Mississippi.

High Country residents can help with efforts to aid victims around the world by bringing gently-used or new shoes to the Mast General Store now through May 31.

“We saw this as a great opportunity to involve both our employees and our home communities,” said Fred Martin, vice president of the Mast General Store. “Most of us have shoes that are just taking up space in the bottom of our closets. Why shouldn’t they go to help those in need?”

This is the second year for the Soles4Souls shoe drive at Mast Store. Last year’s efforts garnered more than 2,000 pairs of shoes. Representatives from Soles4Souls commented that they love seeing such a successful retailer-driven shoe drives.

Soles4Souls can use just about any type of shoe – boots, sandals, dress shoes, work boots, etc. They should be gently-used or new. Bind them together with rubber bands and place them in the Soles4Souls collection boxes at any Mast Store location now until May 31.

For more information, call the Mast General Store in Boone at (828) 262-0000 or Valle Crucis at (828) 963-6511 or visit www.Soles4Souls.org.

HealthyShoeStore.com and TOSH Shoe Drive

HealthyShoeStore.com in cooperation with Thousand Oaks Surgical Hospital recently put on a highly successful shoe drive, collecting 1250 pairs of shoes to be donated to Soles4Soles and distributed to needy children and adults in the U.S. and abroad.

The Thousand Oaks Soles4Soles shoe donation drive was organized and administrated by Podiatrist Jeff Hurless, who serves as the medical director of HealthyShoeStore.com and a podiatrist and foot surgeon on staff at Thousand Oaks Surgical Hospital (TOSH).

"Working with Dr. Hurless in this shoe drive has been a wonderful experience for our staff and community; the support has been impressive," stated Michael D. Bass, chief executive officer of Thousand Oaks Surgical Hospital. "Knowing that we've played a part in touching the lives of over 1200 people is truly an honor."

Spurred by the dedication of HealthyShoeStore.com and TOSH employees, the entire Thousand Oaks community pooled their resources and concentrated their efforts to ensure that the Soles4Soles shoe drive would be a success.

In addition to the participation of HealthyShoeStore.com and hospital employees, local area middle schools, churches, and doctor's offices all played a role in collecting donations and spreading the word about the donation campaign to the community at large.

UPS was generous enough to donate a large portion of the cost of shipping the 1250 shoes to the Soles4Soles west coast distribution center in Las Vegas, NV.

Dr. Hurless was both surprised and grateful for the extent of the community's involvement in the drive.

"The combined efforts of my office, TOSH, and overwhelming individual contributions from the community made this shoe drive a true success," stated Dr. Jeffrey Hurless, "Thank you to everyone who participated."

Soles4Souls Collecting Shoes at "Middle Half" Run

Registration for the Murfreesboro Half Marathon presented by Middle Tennessee Medical Center begins May 1, 2008. Soles4Souls will be collecting new and gently worn shoes at the second annual "Middle Half" run held in October. Last year’s race sold out with 1000 participants in only 34 days.

“We’ve increased the limit to 2000 runners and lowered the age limit to 14,” said Natalie Tate, race director. “Last year we wanted to learn how to conduct a race on a smaller scale with fewer runners. We’re ready for more participants this year.”

New features are being added for the 2008 race. Spectators along the course are encouraged to cheer on the runners with signs and music. Admission is free to the MTSU Track and Soccer field where the runners will cross the finish line.

This year, look for Soles4Souls donation boxes to drop off your unwanted shoes. Runners and spectators are encouraged to bring all styles and sizes of men's, woman's and kids footwear.

Runners may register online at http://www.themiddlehalf.com/.

24 Hour Fitness and Soles4Souls celebrates Earth Day in Texas

24 Hour Fitness has announced that they have joined forces with Soles4Souls in a statewide shoe trade-in event. Beginning last Tuesday in honor of Earth Day, all 24 Hour Fitness clubs throughout Texas invite members and guests to bring in their old, new, or "gently used" shoes to be recycled for those in need.

"We are delighted to partner with 24 Hour Fitness and give people another way to recycle their shoes," said Wayne Elsey, Founder and CEO of Soles4Souls. "Far too many shoes already end up in our landfills when they could benefit a person in need, and our friends at 24 Hour Fitness recognize that giving people an easy and fun way to participate will help reduce the strain on our environment," he said.

People interested in learning more about the Earth Day partnership between 24 Hour Fitness and Soles4Souls can visit http://www.giveshoes.org/ or stop by one of the 71 participating 24 Hour Fitness clubs throughout Texas. Shoe donations will be accepted through June 7, 2008. To find a convenient 24 Hour Fitness location in your area, log on to: http://www.24hourfitness.com/ or call 1-800-224-0240.

University Students seek to Collect 10,000 pair

The students, faculty and staff of Binghamton University are partnering with Soles4Souls to collect 10,000 pairs of shoes to benefit orphans, victims of natural disasters and others in need.

Donation drop boxes have been placed in every residence hall across campus and the six-week drive will be concluding May 9th, the last day of classes.

Soles4Souls collects shoes of every style, size and for any event, although sneakers are often the most needed.

Soles4Souls on Well Fed Network

The Well Fed Network is a compilation of blogs focused normally on high quality food and wine-based content.

This week, they put their utensils and glasses away to help people with their spring cleaning. This is usually the time of year people want to reduce clutter and create more closet space. The WFN spotlighted great places to recycle all kinds of items and keep them out of landfills.

Soles4Souls was mentioned as the place to donate your gently worn shoes. Donating your unused shoes eliminates clutter, saves room in our landfills and it helps someone in need.

Calling All (Tennessee) Runners!

The Inaugural Soles4Souls 10K Run and 5K Run/Walk was listed in Runner's World (www.RunnersWorld.com) -- one of the premier publications in the world of running. The event will be held on SATURDAY, Sept 13, 2008, at the Metro Center Greenway 2214 Rosa L. Parks Blvd (Formally MetroCenter Blvd.), in Nashville , TN.

For more information, please contact our guru of running, KIRK KELLERHALS, at kirkk@soles4souls.org.

Here's a description of the Event & Course:

COMPETITION WALK/RUN: 5K 4:30pm
COMPETITION RUN/RACE: 10K 5:00pm

Fast, flat certified MetroCenter courses that include both surface streets and the beautiful waterfront of the MetroCenter Greenway. USATF Course Certified. CHAMPIONSHIP TIMING Each participant will receive a "Technical" commemorative shirt. Post race refreshments. Door prize drawings for participants after the race. Awards will be given to top 3 finishes overall, and 5 year age groups to 80 +. Awards include running gear and entries into local 1/2 Marathons and other local running events! Whether you run, walk, or crawl across the finish line of the 10 or 5 K event, you will be eligible for the random grand prize drawing for an expenses paid trip to the P.F. Chang's Arizona Rock and Roll Marathon or 1/2 Marathon in January 2009!!! PROCEEDS WILL BENEFIT "Soles4Souls". Please bring a pair of shoes to donate to help the Soles4Souls mission!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER: http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1565416