Students Pitch in Donated Shoes to 'Bury the Bug'

Their goal was to "Bury the Bug."

Mission accomplished.

Evansville Christian School students in Evansville, IN circled a convertible Volkswagen Beetle on Friday morning, filling the car with donated shoes. When they finished, the Beetle overflowed with shoes of all types.

The shoes will be shipped worldwide and distributed to children without footwear. The shoe drive, hosted by Soles4Souls, came to Evansville as part of the charity's "North American RV Tour."

The RV and Beetle was parked at The Evansville Centre for another collection during the St. Patrick's Day Run of Luck.

Parent Donna Logan helped coordinate the collection for Evansville Christian School. Her children, Brooks, 13, and Tanner, 9, collected more than 300 shoes by knocking on doors in their East Side neighborhood.

"And it really wasn't very hard," Logan said.

Logan said the shoe drive gives students a visual example of how their volunteer work can help other people.

"I just wish I could take them on a mission trip to the countries where the shoes are going," she said.

The Beetle was provided by Shoe Carnival, a corporate sponsor.

"We like to take part in any local community event by Soles4Souls," said Shoe Carnival spokeswoman Stacy Carr. "I think shoes are an everyday staple that so many people take for granted."

The RV tour is scheduled to last a year and visit cities across the country, said Sondra Clark, a spokeswoman for Soles4Souls, who is traveling on the tour.

Paul Bair, executive director of Evansville Christian School, said students from both east and west campuses participated in the shoe drive. Combined, the two campuses have about 640 students.

Bair said one of his kindergarten students collected 60 pairs of shoes.