Program Provides Shoes to Kids

Mary Wanger of Rock Hill, SC said her grandkids don't have much, but the look on their faces Saturday as they put on a new pair of shoes told a different story.

To them, they had it all.

“It was a blessing to see the smiles,” said Wanger, 50. “(The shoes) aren't a $100 dollars or anything, they're just plan old simple shoes, and they're happy with them.”

Wanger, along with other families in Rock Hill, was able to get shoes for free at Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church, thanks to native Rock Hill native and Tennessee Titans safety Chris Hope and his partnership with Soles4Souls.

Soles4souls provided the church with 800 pairs of shoes that filled five tables Saturday, and there were still plenty of shoes left over. The shoes included name brands such as Keds and Reebox.

Tisha Burns, 30, of Rock Hill graduated with Hope at Rock Hill High School and said the drive has helped her family tremendously.

“I'm not able to afford shoes and the clothes. I'm very grateful that they were able to do this,” she said.

Hope's cousin, Nard Wylie, 35, of Rock Hill, oversaw the event and said it was Hope's idea because he wanted the church to get involved with the organization. This is the first year the church has hosted a shoe drive, but Wylie said it won't be the last. The remaining shoes will be stored away and used at the next drive.

Wylie said he hopes people will get more out of the event than the shoes.

“I hope to see that we have made it so that they can come and give back to the community. I hope to see more people like Chris. Chris is blessed and he likes to bless others,” Wylie said.

Pastor Sandra Mason said the church is here to help the community.

“Things may be good today and bad tomorrow. We're hoping that if tomorrow is not good they'll remember today and Mount Pilgrim Church,” she said.

The event was part of the church's “Friends & Family” weekend celebration. Hope grew up at Mount Pilgram Baptist and still attends when he's in the Carolinas.

For him, the drive is more than just giving away a free pair of shoes.

“Not only do they get a pair of shoes, they get the opportunity to shake hands with a national football player. Any time you put a smile on a kids face, it's something you can't replace,” he said.

Hope donates more than just his time to Souls4Shoes — he also donates $100 for each tackle made on the field. He donated more than $8,000 for his success during the 2008 season.

Though Hope got much of the attention Saturday, he stressed the event wasn't about him.

“This is not for me to get the glory. It's giving the glory to God. He blesses you. I'm just trying to drop hope,” he said. “I come from the same church, the same community. I have dreams and God is using me to help with their dreams.”

Titan Hands Out Hundreds Of Free Pairs Of Shoes

Soles4Souls along with Shoe Carnival donated more than a thousand pair of clogs to the Nashville Rescue Mission.

Tennessee Titan All-Pro Safety Chris Hope went to the mission to help pass out free clogs to those less fortunate.

Hope has been the National Spokesman for Soles4Souls for three years, and he said giving away free shoes gave him a sense of purpose far past football.

"I'm here in Nashville, but I'm blessing people across the country by passing our shoes, but Soles4Souls has been doing it for many years and they've blessed many people and I'm glad to be a part of it," said Hope.

The safety donates $100 per tackle to Soles4Souls, the Nashville charity that gives away shoes to those in need. Hope has donated almost $30,000 to the organization himself.

"Anytime I'm donating money, that means I'm playing good so it's a blessing," said Hope.
A blessing to people like 29-year-old Adam Perkins, who's overcoming a drug addiction and has high praise for the Titan that gives his time to Soles4Souls.

"I'd like to say to Chris - thank you very much and God Bless you brother," said Perkins.

Join Soles4Souls and Chris Hope for a "Night with the Secondary"

Team Strategies announces the 1st Annual Chris Hope “Night with the Secondary” to benefit Soles4Souls on Thursday, December 4, 2008 from 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. at Shogun Steakhouse in Brentwood, Tennessee.

Come join Chris and the entire Tennessee Titans secondary for an evening of fun, fabulous food, and festivities while raising money for a great cause. Chris and Cortland Finnegan, Michael Griffin, Nick Harper and many more will “tackle” the task of cooking for you, pose for photographs, sign autographs and generally yuck it up while guests bid on some unique and priceless silent auction items.

Chris has donated his time to Soles4Souls by distributing shoes to those in need in the Nashville area. He also recently donated $8,000.00 to help purchase shoes for those in need.

Shogun, one of Tennessee’s largest Japanese Steakhouses, offers the thrill and tranquility of Japanese dining all under one roof. The hibachi tables seat 10 people each and the players will display their newly acquired training as an official hibachi Chef with performances of chopping and dicing. The 4-course hibachi dinner will include an appetizer, soup, salad and vegetables, along with steak, seafood and chicken.

Individual Tickets are $100.00 or $900.00 for a table of 10. Space is limited. Shogun Restaurant is located at 1638 Westgate Circle, Brentwood, Tennessee 37207. Contact Team Strategies at 615-321-4073 or teamstrategies@comcast.net to purchase tickets.

NFL Safety Chris Hope Visits School to Congratulate Students

Last Monday night on the national stage, NFL All-Pro Safety Chris Hope had the game of his dreams. After weeks of waiting for that first interception of the season, Chris doubled his dreams by having the first “two-interception” game of his career, facing off against Peyton Manning in the seventh Titans win of the season, a 31-21 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

The next morning, instead of celebrating the team’s 7-0 success, Chris was at Page High School in Franklin, Tennessee, to congratulate the students on their fundraising achievements for Soles4Souls. As a Soles4Souls Spokesperson, Chris attended their “Barefoot Day”, a pep rally where the students assembled on the football field after leaving their “gently used” shoes on the field as a donation to the charity.

The excitement of Chris attending the pep rally was overwhelming as the students passed by him to donate their shoes. Once students were assembled on the bleachers, Chris took the microphone, asking how many of them had watched the game the night before. The stands erupted in cheers and high fives. Chris then talked about the Soles4Souls mission and reiterated that there are 300 million children in the world who have never owned a pair of shoes, while almost the same number of shoes are tossed into American landfills each year.

Chris thanked the students for their support of the non-profit and praised them for taking their time to help the needy in our community. He ended his talk by asking the students to give their best “Go Titans” cheer on his count of three. The roar was deafening, earning the students a winning “Chris Hope” smile that rivaled the smile on his face following his Monday night interceptions.

The Soles4Souls “Barefoot Day” culminated a month-long series of events and programs hosted by DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) at Page High school to raise funds for and bring awareness to those in need. The Soles4Souls program provides an innovative alternative to traditional fundraisers, so students are able to raise money for their school group while making a significant difference in the lives of others.

Chris Hope, in addition to donating his time and support to Soles4Souls, donates $100.00 for each tackle and he uses his weekly Monday night radio show on 106.7, The Fan, an ESPN affiliate, to promote the cause. He recently donated $8,000.00 to Soles4Souls for his success on the field for the 2007 season. The 2008 season already looks to be a good one for the charity and for the Titans.

Titans Star, Soles4Souls to host Shoe Drive Sept. 16

Chris Hope of the Tennessee Titans is teaming up with Shoe Carnival and Soles4Souls to provide a basic, yet indispensable gift that most of us take for granted: the gift of shoes.

Chris Hope and Shoe Carnival are hosting a shoe drive at the Shoe Carnival store adjacent to the Cool Springs Galleria Mall in Franklin, Tenn. (7085 Bakers Bridge Avenue) on Tuesday, Sept. 16 from 4-6 p.m. Hope will sign one autograph for each pair of new or “Gently worn” shoes that is donated to Soles4Souls or for a small donation of $2.

This autograph session is an opportunity to give back to the community for its support of the Shoe Carnival locations in the Nashville area. This event is also a part of the recently announced partnership and program between Soles4Souls and Shoe Carnival. For a small donation of $2, someone without shoes will receive a gift of shoes.

In addition, those who donate new or gently worn shoes will receive a $5 Shoe Carnival coupon. The program is currently running in all 300 Shoe Carnival store locations and will end Sept. 24.

Players Announced for Coach Fisher's Charity Softball Game

Titans players have been announced for the 2008 Comcast "Jeff Fisher & Friends" Charity Softball Game to be played on Saturday, June 28 (7 p.m.) at Greer Stadium in Nashville.

Players participating will include: Vince Young, Chris Hope, Bo Scaife, Nick Harper, Cortland Finnegan; David Thornton, Jevon Kearse, Rob Bironas, Kyle Vanden Bosch, Justin Gage, Chris Johnson, Casey Cramer, Craig Hentrich, Kerry Collins, Ken Amato, Daniel Loper, Michael Griffin, Calvin Lowry, Ahmad Hall, Josh Stamer, Stephen Tulloch, Jason Jones, Roydell Williams, Coach Alan “Music City Miracle” Lowry and Coach Steve Watterson. Other Alumni “Friends” include Frank Wycheck, Marcus Robertson, Kevin Dyson, Chris Sanders, Brad Hopkins and Benji Olsen.

Again this year, Soles4Souls will conduct a shoe drive at the charity softball game. This is one of Nashville's hottest annual events so be sure to mark your calendar, bring your gently worn or new shoes and join the fun.

Admission is only $10.00 or $15.00 for Reserved Seats, $6.00 for Kids 12 under, and if you show your KrogerPlus card, Military or Student ID you can get an additional $1 off. Tickets are on sale through the Nashville Sounds ticket office. Tickets sales will benefit Mercy Ministries, Second Harvest Food Bank, Soles4Souls, Catch-A-Dream and several other local charities. The event has raised over $350,000 to date.

Gates open at 5:00 PM with pre-game activities that include a Little League exhibition game and a NFL players “Hit it Out of the Park” contest and the games kicks off at 7:00 PM. Capping off the evening will be a display of fireworks.

Tennessee Titan helps out Soles4Souls

NFL Safety Chris Hope stopped by the Nashville Rescue Mission in between a busy day of team workouts on Wednesday to participate in the Soles4Souls Shoe Donation, an event benefiting local persons in need by providing them with new pairs of shoes. A strong supporter of the organization, Hope pledged $100 for every tackle he made in 2007 to Souls4Souls, accumulating in a $6,000 donation. Hope will again pledge $100 for every tackle he makes in 2008.

Held in the usual game lounge for visitors of the Mission, Soles4Souls provided 1,000 pairs of new shoes to residents of the Nashville community. The event marked the third shoe distribution within the past 10 months in the charity’s ongoing commitment to those in need of one of our most overlooked necessities — shoes. Hope helped recipients try on shoes, find the right style and locate the right sizes, all the while providing words of encouragement.

Founder and CEO of Soles4Souls Wayne Elsey commented on how much it meant to the participants to have Hope lending his time to the event.

“Having Chris involved lets them (today's recipients) know that they are important to him. To give them a pair of shoes, something that we take for granted everyday, will help them out in the future and help put a smile on their face,” said Elsey.

Inspired by the large turnout, Hope talked about what it meant to him personally to be involved with the shoe drive and why Soles4Souls is one of his favorite organizations.

“Working with Soles4Souls gives me the chance to give my time, meet people in need, and touch them in a different way. When you give someone a pair of shoes, you can see their faces light up, almost like they're a kid again,” said Hope.

“I consider it a real blessing to be involved in something like this, and I’m thankful I was able to participate.”

The Titans hosted a Shoe Drive to benefit Soles4Souls this past season versus the Houston Texans on Sunday, Dec. 2 at LP Field. Titans fans helped donate approximately 7,400 shoes during the drive to benefit events and non-profit organizations such as the Nashville Rescue Mission.

Tennessee Titans supporting Soles4Souls

Nashville, TN - Cumulus Media and ESPN 106.7 The Fan announced the return of Offense/Defense with NFL Running Back Chris Brown and NFL All Pro Safety, Chris Hope. The radio show will air Monday nights at 6:00 PM at Nashville area Applebee’s Restaurant locations.

This will be the second year for the radio show and will feature Chris Brown and Chris Hope discussing the game as well as fan phone calls with host Jonathan Shaffer. Fans are also invited out to watch the show and to meet the players.

The show will be based at several Nashville area Applebee’s Restaurants. The 2007 schedule is :
9/10 Spring Hill
9/17 Opryland
9/24 No Show
10/1 No Show
10/8 Hermitage
10/15 Thompson Lane
10/22 Harding Place
10/29 Madison
11/5 Hendersonville
11/12 Bellevue
11/19 No Show
11/26 Hickory Hollow
12/3 Opryland
12/10 Nippers Corner
12/17 Spring Hill

In addition, Brown and Hope announce their support of the Nashville-based charity Soles4Souls™ Inc., the global organization dedicated to providing free footwear to people in need all over the world. Chris Brown has pledged to donate $100 for each first down and Chris Hope has pledged $100 for each tackle during the 2007 NFL season.

To support Brown and Hope’s charity efforts, Cumulus Media will run Soles4Souls PSA’s recorded by the players for the entire season.

About SOLES4SOULS
Nashville-based Soles4Souls™ facilitates the donations of shoes, which is used to aid the hurting worldwide. The organization has distributed more than 2.5 million pairs of shoes since January 2005 (or one pair of shoes every 28 seconds). 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

For more information, please contact:
Kim Dettwiller, Team Strategies, 615-321-4073, mhtml:%7BD4EE4306-E560-45D3-83DE-927B0E981FD9%7Dmid://00000251/!x-usc:mailto:kimdet@comcast.net

NFL players help Soles4Souls donate 1,000 pairs of shoes to rescue mission

Nashville based charity Soles4Souls Inc., the global organization dedicated to providing free footwear to people in need all over the world, donated over 1,000 pairs of shoes today to the Nashville Rescue Mission.

Soles4Souls staff, along with volunteers from Bellevue Community Church, as well as NFL Safety, Chris Hope, NFL Running Back, Chris Brown, and Vice Mayor Howard Gentry, Chair of the Homeless Commission, were on hand to fit guests of the mission with their new pairs of shoes.