What makes America great?

   You could probably formulate 1,000 different responses to this question. Here at Soles4Souls, we are frequently reminded of one attribute that makes America great...Generosity.  

   Time and time again we've seen Americans step up and act generously to meet a need. Just this year, we've had major natural disasters both internationally and locally. In both cases, people have risen to the occasion. We are constantly inspired by stories of people who have used their abilities and resources to impact the lives of others.

   With that said, we're excited to announce our partnership with Footwear News to give you the opportunity to show your generosity once again...

106 days. 22 cities. 6,000 miles. Thousands of lives changed.

The Great American Shoe Drive is a cross-country tour that lets you to meet the needs of people in your community. All of the shoes that are donated are redistributed locally.

 

   We kicked off the drive this week in Salt Lake City at the Outdoor Retailer Show where we will be collecting gently used shoes. The shoes will then be distributed to the Sego Lily Center for the Abused Deaf. 

   Next week we're headed to Las Vegas to collect shoes WSA Show & FN Platform Show.

Want more info?

- Check out  The Great American Shoe Drive Map for the complete list of the cities, dates & event  details.
- Follow the tour on Twitter & use the hashtag #giveshoes when you make a donation.
- Tell us about your Great American Shoe Drive experience

What are some other things that make America great?

Soles4Souls 4 Jesse Knowles

The fundraiser for Jesse Knowles and Soles4Souls at C & L Recycling will be ending July 31st. Be sure to get your donations in soon!

Jesse Knowles was diagnosed with an extremely rare brain tumor earlier this year. He remains incredibly upbeat and is inspiring hundreds of people with his story.

If you live in or near Clarksville, Tennessee, you may support Jesse with monetary donations at C & L Recycling, located at 1515 C Vista Lane. They will also be collecting gently worn shoes until the end of the month for Soles4Souls.

While the collected shoes will go to needy people in the U.S. and around the world, all funds collected during the drive will be deposited into a fund to help Jesse and his family pay his medical bills.

If you do not live in Tennessee or if it is after July 31st, you may help Jesse with monetary donations and words of encouragement at www.caringbridge.org/visit/jesseknowles.

Mast General Store Drive

Helping disaster victims take their first steps toward recovery, Mast General Store collected 3,000 pairs of gently worn shoes. This was made possible by the generosity of customers and the local community determined to help the needy worldwide.


“This is just remarkable,” said Mary Nase, general manager for the Mast Store in Greenville, S.C. Nase served as company coordinator of the Soles4Souls project. “All the store communities have really supported this project. It is wonderful to see people come together to help others.”

"Eight large pallets are now on their way to the Soles4Souls warehouse for distribution," said Nase. "To give you ideas of just how big this is, one pallet of boxes is over five feet tall and about four feet wide, then multiply by eight. This definitely will not fit in the trunk of your car or the back of your pickup truck."

Thanks from EAST

Here is a thank you note that was printed in the Creston News Advertiser, in Creston Iowa. The letter was from Shawn Miller, a teacher at Creston High School EAST, who wanted to thank his students and all the others in the community who participated in their shoe drive. We also want to take the time to thank the great students of Creston High for helping Soles4Souls "change the world, one pair at a time." Great job Creston High School!

I want to take a moment to thank each and every one of you that made our Creston High School EAST classes Soles4Souls project so successful. Near the end of the school year, a handful of my students became interested in a shoe collecting organization called Soles4Souls after learning of the plight of children in impoverished countries.

All told, we were able to collect a total of 555 pairs of shoes, boots, sandals, etc., of all sizes, makes and models that will be sent to the headquarters of Soles4Souls organization in Nashville, Tenn., and then sent to children worldwide in need. Our original goal for this project was to bring in 300 pairs of shoes which we easily surpassed due in large part to the outstanding support of the Creston community in this worthwhile cause. A special thank you goes out to the following individuals and businesses for either hosting a drop off location for this cause and/or for their sizable donations: Rhonda Miller and the employees of Bunn, the Dollar General Store, The Family Shoe Store, Greater Regional Medical Center and Crooks Clothing Company in Greenfieid.

We appreciate all of the support that EAST has received from the entire Creston community and particularly from the respective interest groups and businesses that exist here. The support has really benefited the program as we work diligently to lay the foundation for the only EAST program in the state of Iowa.

Thanks again for all of your help with this project. We couldn’t have done it without you!

The Bag Lady Announces Shoe Drive

The Bag Lady announced that they will be hosting a shoe drive to benefit Soles4Souls.

During the shoe drive, The Bag Lady will be offering a discount coupon to all customers who bring in gently worn pairs of shoes toward the effort. The shoe drive began on June 1 and will end on July 31, 2009. The Bag Lady is located at 1710 Kenilworth Ave. in the Dilworth neighborhood of Charlotte, NC.

“Soles4Souls is such a worthy cause,” said Susan Burns, Store Manager of The Bag Lady. “It’s a meaningful and easy way to get the local community involved in a global effort. Plus, it’s a great incentive to clean out our closets!” she said.

For more information on how you can get involved with this shoe drive and take advantage of the discount toward a new pair of shoes, contact The Bag Lady at (704) 338-9778. You can also visit their web site at http://www.thebagladync.com/.

BRIEF Aldersgate UMC collecting shoes

Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Montgomery, AL at 6610 Vaughn Road will be collecting new or slightly worn shoes to aid those in need worldwide. Shoes collected will be donated to Soles4Souls, where they will be cleaned and shipped to areas of need.

Collection bins are available throughout the church, and a community wide drop-off event is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday in the church's front parking lot.

Members of the Boy Scout Troop 307, sponsored by the Aldersgate United Methodist Men, will be on hand to collect donations.

Khristen Carlson, coordinator of the shoe drive, said the donated shoes will be banded together in pairs and then delivered to the Soles4Souls primary warehouse facility in Roanoke, VA.

"Having a pair of shoes to wear is something that most of us take for granted," Carlson said in a statement. "Soles4Souls donates a pair of shoes to someone in need every 17 seconds. Our mission at Aldersgate is 'To know Jesus and to make Him known.' This is one way in which we can show the love of Christ to those in need."

The shoe drive will continue through May 17.  

Freed-Hardeman Group Collects More than 1,000 Pairs of Shoes

At various locations on the Freed-Hardeman University campus in Henderson, TN, boxes are full of shoes. Dress shoes, tennis shoes, flip-flops and more are filling donation boxes for Soles4Souls.

The College Democrats of Freed-Hardeman started a shoe and money drive on March 24, said Greg Massey. He is the faculty sponsor of the College Democrats at the university. Those students and others are sponsoring the shoe drive and are collecting new and gently worn shoes of all types and sizes, he said.

"We will deliver them to Soles4Souls in Nashville," Massey said.

Justin Spurlock, a junior education major, is president of the College Democrats. The group decided this could be a great community service project.

"This started off with just a few people, but then others started coming to us asking to help," he said. "Eventually, the education department and the student teachers club raised about $200 and bought several new pairs of shoes."

Spurlock said he was surprised by the amount of shoes they have collected. In the attic of the building that houses Massey's office, more than 1,000 pairs have been sorted and are ready to be delivered.

Massey said FHU's chapter of the College Democrats became rejuvenated in January, and this shoe drive helped the club grow.

"It's not about politics but about empowering people," he said. "And giving shoes is a good first step in helping people."

Central Baptist Sponsors Shoe Collection

Central Baptist Church in Anderson, KY is sponsoring a Soles4Souls shoe collection for the second consecutive year. Any and all types and sizes of shoes are needed.

The breezeway at the church will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week for drop-offs until May 15. The church is located on Bypass North near the Anderson-Franklin county line across the road from the cell phone tower.

Track and Field Team Collecting Shoes

The Geneva High School girls track and field team in Chicago, IL is hosting a shoe drive to benefit Soles4Souls. The shoe drive will run for about month, beginning Monday April 13, and ending Friday, May 8. Area residents were invited to recycle their "gently worn" shoes for people in need.

Throughout the shoe drive the girls track team will be hosting two home meets, last Saturday, and May 8. There will be drop off boxes for the shoes at Burgess Field on those two days. Otherwise, shoes can be dropped off in the bins in the high schools gymnasiums during normal school hours.

5th Grader Helps Bring in 800 Pairs

Anna Dailey is following in her sister's footsteps, so to speak.

Two years ago, when Julia Dailey was in fifth grade she organized a shoe drive at Hampton Cove Elementary School in Huntsville, AL for Soles4Souls. Julia collected dozens of pairs of shoes, and Anna, who is now in the same fifth-grade gifted program at Hampton Cove her older sister was in, decided she wanted to organize her own drive.

"I remember her coming home every day and telling us how many shoes had been donated," Anna said.

Anna and her friend, Audrey Corbett, had just done a count of about 300 pairs of shoes donated at the school. The Fleet Feet shoe store also contributed another 500 pairs to Anna's drive, bringing the total to about 800 pairs of shoes. The shoes ranged from worn athletic shoes to barely worn dressy sandals.

"My teacher brought in high heels," said Anna about her homeroom teacher Nancy Bass.

To get the project started, Anna first had to write a letter to her principal, Dr. Fillis McGhee, asking for permission. She then contacted Soles4Souls to get collection boxes and a banner to announce the drive. She wrote a note to go out in the folders that go home with the school's 1,000 students every Wednesday, and appeared on the school daily news broadcast twice to ask for donations.

"I honestly helped zero," said Sonia Parker, Anna's teacher. "I would just say 'Think about what you want to do this week'."

While Anna does get class credit for her project, she just wanted to do it, regardless of the recognition.

"If we need a new pair of shoes, we get a new pair of shoes," she said. "It's not the same for everybody. The shoe drive was a way of giving back, which everyone should try to do."

"It just feels good," she said.

Shoe Drive A Big Success at Middle School

Manor Middle School students in Lancaster, PA have proven they know how to get a job done.

In less than two weeks, the students managed to collect 1,319 pairs of shoes for Soles4Souls. Peer Helpers organized the event, which kicked off March 30 and ended last Wednesday.

"Our goal was 500 pairs," noted Zac Bauermaster, teacher and program coordinator. "The volume of shoes collected was well over twice that number."

The idea for a shoe drive came out of a unit of study on Africa. Bauermaster said his students and those of Deron Gue's seventh- grade geography class learned that some African children work 12- hour days in mines without shoes for foot protection.


"We saw so many pictures of children without shoes," he said. "We really want the students to understand and have empathy towards people in other countries," Bauermaster added.


The Manor Middle School students jumped right in and began gathering shoes.


"It's a good way for everyone to get involved," stated Hannah Breidenbaugh, a Peer Helper. "It's not hard to pitch in and help."


For every pair of shoes donated, the students received a receipt, which they could enter into a drawing. The Inside Track is donating prizes. And the group that brought in the most pairs will get to help shave Gue's head.

Shoes for Needy Collected by 10-year-old

A 10-year-old is encouraging others in Jackson, Mississippi to give.

Gabrielle Ambeau held a shoe drive Saturday at New Jerusalem gym on Old Canton Road for Soles4Souls.

Many people stopped by to donate their gently-used shoes for those in need.

Ambeau said she got the idea for the drive after searching the internet with her mom. She was just looking for a way she could get involved in the community and give back to those in need.

"I want to help get people to be able to feel confident about themselves and to have some shoes to wear instead of walking around barefoot all the time and to get back on their feet," Ambeau said.


Ambeau hopes to donate the shoes to people in New Orleans or Africa.

SHHS Sponsors Drive to Benefit Soles4Souls

Spring Hill High School in Spring Hill, TN announced a shoe drive to benefit Soles4Souls March 9-13. Students, faculty, Columbia and Spring Hill residents are invited to recycle their “gently worn” shoes for people in need.

Spring Hill High School will also be accepting donations to help ship the shoes to people in need, whether they are victims of a natural disaster or subject to living in extreme poverty. The charity can use each and every one of these pairs to make a tangible difference in someone's life.

“We can use the shoes taking up space in your closet to change the world one pair at a time,” said Wayne Elsey, Soles4Soles CEO and founder. “We need our partners in Spring Hill High School to “step up” and get behind our call for action. It’s one of the most simple yet profound gifts you can make, because it will greatly improve someone’s life in the most difficult of times,” he said.

Carlsbad (CA) Woman Organizes Shoe Drive for the Needy

Act of charity was a Christmas present for husband

[from the NORTH COUNTY TIMES]

by Stacy Brandt

As a Christmas gift to her husband, a local woman hopes to collect at least 2,500 shoes next month to give to needy people.

Liz Jones, a Carlsbad resident, said she came up with the idea after hearing about another woman who, more than 30 years ago, was inspired to donate to charity each year as a Christmas present to her husband, who didn't agree with the commercialization of the holiday.

Jones is working with local public agencies, businesses and schools to bring in as many shoes as possible, she said.

Her husband, Phillip, said he was thrilled with the work his wife is doing in his honor.

He said that as a child, he didn't get shoes often and cherished every pair that he got.

"I didn't grown up in a wealthy family," Phillip Jones said. "When I got a new pair of shoes, it was a big deal. It was a really big deal."

Now, he has amassed quite a collection ---- more than 50 pairs, he figured. He said he plans to donate about half of those to his wife's shoe drive, which will run Feb. 23-27.

Carlsbad Unified School District campuses will have donation boxes set up next week for children and parents to donate. Half of the shoes collected will go to people in San Diego County, while the other half will go to the Soles4Souls nonprofit group, which will distribute them to needy people across the globe.

Superintendent John Roach said he thought the shoe drive was a good idea.

"People in our community probably have a bunch of boxes of shoes in their closet," he said. "It's that time of year ---- spring cleaning ---- and there are people all over the world who could probably use those shoes."

The drive will also remind students of the importance of charity and could spur more philanthropy, Roach said.

"It just shows people that it doesn't take a lot to do some good for a lot of people," he said.

Jones said she hopes to make the shoe drive an annual event that will grow each year.

A list of drop-off locations and more information is available online at www.heartnsole.org. Also on the Web site is the original story that inspired Jones, "For the Man Who Hated Christmas," which was published in Woman's Day magazine in 1982.

Contact staff writer Stacy Brandt at (760) 901-4009 or sbrandt@nctimes.com.

Brown Shoes (retailer in Upper Arlington) hosting Shoe Drive Through February

[from wire reports, posted at Columbus News]

Brown Steps Forward to Serve as Shoe Donation Place, Too
The retail footwear store will collect shoes through the end of February as part of a worldwide mission.

By DONAVON CAMPBELL

Anyone who has ever tiptoed across gravel-covered ground -- or hot-footed it through sun-baked sand -- knows that going without shoes is often no fun.

The overwhelming problem, however, is not that occasionally people take an ill-advised jaunt across inhospitable terrain. Worldwide, there are millions of people who do not have an option.

That is why Brown Shoes Inc., a locally owned shoe store in Upper Arlington for the past 45 years, is holding a shoe collection drive throughout February.

Once the shoes are collected, said Brown Shoes owner Jeff Brown, they will be given to Nashville-based Soles4Souls. It's an organization that refurbishes used shoes and donates them to those in need.

"We decided we would partner up with them and open our doors to everybody who wants to get some shoes to us ... and we'll get them down to Nashville to Soles4Souls," said Brown.

He will sweeten the pot by giving a $10 discount on a new pair of shoes to anybody who donates.

"People can clean their wardrobes out and if they'd like to get some new shoes, they would save some money," Brown said.

Soles4Souls founder Wayne Elsey said the idea for the organization hit him while he was watching footage of the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami that killed more than 225,000 people in 11 countries bordering the Indian Ocean.

Elsey, who was working in the shoe industry at the time, said he saw a shoe floating among the flood waters on television when the idea struck him.

Since then, Soles4Souls has donated more than 4 million shoes to people in nearly 70 countries worldwide.

"We estimate there are 1.8 billion pairs of shoes sitting in Americans' closets," Elsey said. "What we do is we ask Americans to recycle those shoes in their closets and keep them out of landfills."

He said people might be surprised to hear that 55 percent of the shoes collected go to individuals in need right here in the United States.

"The reality is there are 300 million people around the world that don't have shoes," said Elsey.

While he is proud of the 4 million pairs of shoes already donated, the number is not nearly enough, he said.

"Our goal is to close that gap" between 4 million and 300 million, Elsey said.

Brown said he discovered Soles4Souls at a national convention. While Brown Shoes has been involved in local donations for many years, Brown said he was impressed enough to want to contribute on a larger scale.

"We think their organization is doing a great job for the footwear industry and for people in need," Brown said. "I just thought it would be a good thing to do."

The shoe drive began Feb. 6 and will run through Feb. 28, Brown said.

Shoes can be dropped off at Brown Shoes Inc., 2108 Tremont Center in Upper Arlington.

For more information on Soles4Souls, visit the Web site giveshoes.org.

"We estimate there are 1.8 billion pairs of shoes sitting in Americans' closets. What we do is we ask Americans to recycle those shoes in their closets and keep them out of landfills."

Shoe drive puts kick into WCC rivalries

[from the GONZAGA BULLETIN]

Gonzaga faces tough competition with its West Coast Conference rivals this year - off the basketball court. The eight schools are competing against each other in the WCC's first annual service contest to win a pre-game party at the conference tournament in Las Vegas.

Through Feb. 19, anyone can donate a pair of shoes to support charity and help send Gonzaga students to celebrate before the first men's tournament game.

Kennel Club Co-President Kepa Zugazaga is excited about the opportunity.

"We always donate to charities like Relay for Life and Face AIDS, but this will definitely be a way for people to see us helping out. They don't see the donations."

The idea blossomed last fall when students from all WCC schools met in October at the annual Student Athlete Advisory Committee conference and voted to begin a year-long service campaign, said Mike Roden, director of academic support services at Gonzaga.
WCC staff and the SAAC voted unanimously on Soles4Souls, a charity that gives shoes to people in need.

The charity was founded in 2004 during relief efforts to rebuild Southeast Asia from tsunami damages. It houses regional headquarters in Las Vegas and has worked with Orleans Arena in the past, so it was a great fit, said Sarah Arens, WCC's Director of Student Services.

Arens said she is impressed that the students took the initiative.

"The idea really sparked with the student athletes," she said. "It was a perfect match - the students really wanted to do something, and the conference athletic directors had a connection with the city."

Lauren Rochholz said the charity is great because they'll take almost anything.

"Used shoes go internationally, decent ones stay in the States, and really cruddy shoes are recycled to make track or court surfaces," she said. Rochholz is the president of the SAAC at Gonzaga.

All types of donations are welcome, Arens said. She said most of the lightly worn shoes will be donated to at-risk youth in Las Vegas.

The charity is not only a great fit for the location, but also will accomplish a seemingly impossible goal: bringing the eight WCC schools together.

"We spend too much time heckling each other, so it's nice to work together," Zugazaga said.

"It turned into the perfect project," Arens said. "It fits right in with athletics because of the shoes, especially athletic shoes. Lots of students can easily donate an old pair."

In Spokane, donation containers can be found across campus and town. On campus, shoes can be donated in Crosby, Jepson, Rudolf Fitness center, and most dorms. The Runner's Soul and Spokane Racquet Club also have containers.

Gonzaga SAAC members have been working closely with GSBA, the Bulldog Club, and media in Spokane to spread the message, Roden said.

"Friends and family can donate, too. We want this to be a success," he said.

Zugazaga said the contest will be a good opportunity to involve all Kennel Club members and spread the word about WCC involvement.

"We're trying to make it as easy as possible for the students," he said.

Donations can also be made in the McCarthey Athletic Center on February 19th. The contest culminates at the men's basketball game that evening.

The winning school will be recognized at halftime of the women's championship game in Vegas, Arens said. The conference decided on an unofficial goal of 500 pairs of shoes per school, but several schools have already met the number, she said.

As of Tuesday, Pepperdine, Gonzaga, and Loyola Marymount University had the most donations.

The conference will hold a student fan party for the winning team before their respective game at the tournament, Arens said.

"What's great about the contest is that it doesn't just benefit student athletes," Rochholz said. Although the SAAC voted on the contest, the party will be open to the first 200 students of the winning school.

Free pizza will be provided during the pre-game party, and the school's fans will have early access to the Arena.

"There's been a discussion of giveaways, but that hasn't been confirmed," Arens said. "It's our first year, and I've been really impressed with the participation. We can't wait to see everyone in Vegas."

DUTREY'S, a Cumberland County (PA) Store is Hosting International Shoe Drive

Dutrey’s Shoes of Carlisle is hosting a shoe drive to assist Soles4Souls Inc., an international footwear charity based in Nashville that delivers shoes to needy people around the world. During the shoe drive, Dutrey’s will offer a $5 savings certificate for each pair of gently worn shoes donated and up to $15 towards the purchase of new footwear.

“There are hurting people throughout the world,” said John Dutrey. “Shoes provide protection, comfort and relief. We all have several pairs in our closet that we can share with the less fortunate.”

The shoe drive continues through Feb. 28 at Dutrey’s, 290 E. Pomfret St.

North High School in Williamsville, NY, Holds Shoe Drive

The Amherst Bee is reporting that NORTH HIGH SCHOOL in Williamsville, New York, is holding a shoe drive that runs until February 27. All residents in the area are invited to drop off their "gently worn" shoes to join the students and teachers in helping Soles4Souls change the world, one pair at a time.

To date, more than 260 pairs of shoes have been collected.

For more information, visit the Amherst Bee's website.

Footprints Collecting Shoes

Footprints, a shoe store in Delafield, WI is collecting gently worn shoes for Soles4Souls.

People who donate shoes will receive a 20% discount coupon for use in the store. The offer runs all during the month of February. Footprints is in the Wal-Mart shopping center at the southeast corner of the I-94/Highway 83 interchange.

Footprints carries a huge selection of Birkenstock, Dansko, KEEN, as well as many other styles. For more information, visit http://www.footprintshoes.net/.

The Erie Shoe Fly Drive

The Erie Shoe Fly Store announced recently that it will host a shoe drive to assist Soles4Souls. The Erie Shoe Fly Store is located at 7520 Peach Street in Erie, PA.


During the shoe drive, The Erie Shoe Fly Stores will be offering a $5 Savings Certificate for each pair of gently worn shoes donated and up to $15 towards the purchase of new footwear in their store. The shoe drive will begin on February 1, 2009 and will end on February 28, 2009.

"There are hurting people throughout the world and shoes provide protection, comfort and relief," said store manager Art Oligeri. "We all have several pairs in our closet that we can share with the less fortunate."