Brighton's Final Tally: 73,163 Pair

After it was all said and done, 125 Brighton Collectible stores participated in the most successful shoe drive Soles4Souls had ever seen. The national chain far exceeded their lofty goal of 50,000 pair by sending over 73,000 pairs of new and gently worn shoes to Soles4Souls distribution centers.

The shoes will be inspected, sorted and then sent to the needy in various parts of the U.S. and around the world.

Wayne Elsey, CEO and founder of Soles4Souls, said that Brighton was so successful because many of the stores partnered with local community organizations and businesses to spread the word about the shoe drive.

"The gift of shoes can be such a powerful thing," said Elsey. "Often we don't realize how many people both at home and abroad are without even a single pair of shoes."

This is the second year in a row that Brighton has partnered with Soles4Souls. Giving back is a tradition at Brighton, and the company has been fortunate to be able to help communities across the United States and around the world.

Brighton's Shoe Drive a Success

Southwest Florida residents donated 2,542 pairs of shoes to Coconut Point’s Brighton Collectibles during its annual campaign to provide footwear for the needy. The amount shoes collected at the Estero store was more than any other of Brighton Collectibles’ 125 stores across the country.

Twelve other Brighton stores collected more than 1,000 pairs for shoes. Company-wide, Brighton Collectibles received 73,163 pairs of shoes.

“We’re ecstatic,” said store manager Amanda Hodge. “When we kicked this off we had just under 200 pairs of shoes. Then the article ran in The News-Press and people started donating shoes from all over Southwest Florida. I never knew so many people read The News-Press."

“We had one gentleman from a local church who put a notice in his church’s bulletin,” Hodge said. “This past Sunday, he dropped off 179 pairs of shoes.”

Throughout the month of May, the women’s boutique collected footwear as a way to bring attention to the 300 million children in the world who have never owned a pair of shoes. The store teamed up with Soles4Souls for the footwear fundraiser.

Brighton Collectibles’ goal was to collect 50,000 pairs of shoes company-wide, Hodge said.

“We’ve been getting a lot of congratulatory emails this morning,” Hodge said.

The footwear collected during the Brighton event will be sent to Soles4Souls primary distribution center in Roanoke, Ala., where it will be inspected, sorted by gender and size, packaged and then shipped. The footwear will await distribution to the first qualified charity or regional partner that expresses a need.

Brighton Collectibles Collecting Shoes Through June 1st

Brighton Collectibles in Coconut Point, FL will collect new or gently-worn shoes through June 1 to donate to Soles4Souls.


Each person who drops off a pair of shoes at a Brighton Collectibles store can enter a drawing for a free pair of Brighton footwear.


Soles4Souls plans to donate new shoes to needy people in five cities: New Orleans, Atlanta, Miami, Detroit, and Taylor, Ariz on Barefoot Day, June 1.


For details about National Barefoot Day, visit http://www.giveshoes.org/ or http://www.brighton.com/.

Customers who Donate Gently Worn Shoes to Receive $25 Off New Brighton Footwear

Most of us have a lot of shoes we no longer wear. In fact, according to one estimate, more than one billion pair of shoes lay idle in American closets. Yet there are millions of people both here in the United States and around the world in desperate need of footwear.

That is why Brighton Collectibles is teaming up with Soles4Souls, the international charity dedicated to providing free footwear to people in desperate need, to provide a basic, yet indispensable gift that most of us take for granted: the gift of shoes.

Simply bring in a pair of gently worn shoes to any Brighton Collectibles store in America on Friday or Saturday, June 15th and 16, 2007 and receive $25 off a pair of new Brighton shoes. All the footwear collected during this special charitable event will go to Soles4Souls.

“We are honored to be partnering with such a worthy organization,” said Jerry Kohl, owner and president of Brighton Collectibles, Inc. “The founders of Soles4Souls saw a need and decided to do something about it, making a difference in the lives of millions of people.”

Soles4Souls has to date, donated over 2.5 Million pairs of shoes to people in over 30 plus countries around the world through donations from footwear companies, retailers, churches, nonprofit ministries, civic groups, schools, and individuals.

“We are delighted that Brighton has chosen to partner with Soles4Souls. The shoes donated by their customers will really make a great difference in the lives of those that receive them.” said Wayne Elsey, Soles4Souls founder and CEO “The gift of shoes can be such a powerful thing, often we don’t realize how many people both at home and abroad are without even a single pair of shoes.”

The partnership with Soles4Souls is the latest in a series of successful charitable initiatives that Brighton has sponsored in recent years. Since 2003, the company has been designing a special piece of jewelry for breast cancer awareness month in October. Brighton’s Power of Pink initiative has raised more than $2 million for breast cancer research.

To find a Brighton Collectibles store near you, visit http://www.brighton.com/. For more information on shoe donations, visit www.soles4souls.org.