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Soles for Souls ...
Ken Emerson, owner of Fleming's Clothing of Osage, announced this week that he and his staff are hosting a special used shoe drive to benefit "Soles4Souls" Inc., the international footwear charity that delivers shoes to needy people.
During the shoe drive, Fleming's Clothing will be offering a 20 percent discount new shoes to all customers who bring in gently worn pairs of shoes toward the effort. The shoe drive will begin this week.
Inside his store, Emerson has a Soles4Souls drop-off box, and has ordered extra boxes in case some of the local churches would like to get involved as well.
"I found out about the used shoe campaign through a friend of mine who helped provide shoes to those who lost everything in Hurricane Katrina a few years back," said Emerson. "I think it's a good cause, and it fits in with our business. But keep in mind, you don't have to buy anything. You can simply drop off your used shoes. Why throw them away if they can help someone in need?
Nashville-based Soles4Souls facilitates the donations of both new and used shoes, which are used to aid the hurting worldwide. Since its inception, Soles4Souls has collected more than three million pairs (or one pair every 28 seconds) from shoe companies, retailers, and individuals.
The shoes have been distributed in more than 60 countries, including Mexico, Honduras, Romania, Thailand and Sudan. The chairty has been featured on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, ABC News, FOX, CBS, and hundreds of regional outlets around North America. Soles4Souls is a 501(c)(3) recognized by the IRS; donating parties are eligible for tax advantages.
"We are thrilled that Fleming's Clothing is acting on our behalf to spread joy to people, both here in the United States and around the world," said Wayne Elsey, Founder of Soles4Souls. "It is only because of proactive retail stores, such as Fleming's Clothing, that we are able to accomplish our goal of getting shoes on the feet of people who need them most," he said.
The Soles4Souls campaign began as a small team effort to make a difference in people's lives with the gift of shoes.
When Hurricane Katrina roared ashore the gulf coast of the United States in late August 2005, a group of caring individuals and motivated charities created a website called KatrinaShoes.org in order to collect footwear donations from companies and individuals.
The response to its call for action was overwhelming. As the fledgling charity called upon other organizations to help distribute the amount of donated footwear that arrived, it discovered that the need for basic footwear was immense, even when natural disasters weren't looming on the horizon. KatrinaShoes.org reincorporated as Soles4Souls Inc., which has become an acclaimed international organization dedicated to providing free footwear to those in desperate need.
Soles4Souls is already collecting and distributing more than 35,000 pairs of shoes each week. By summer 2008, we expect that figure to be over 45,000 pairs of shoes each week.
The non-profit organization offers a variety of services and support materials to achieve its mission which includes:
-The collection and distribution of new footwear, either from manufacturers or retailers;
-The collection and distribution of "gently worn" footwear, either from individuals or companies initiating a shoe "trade-in" event;
-Domestic and international distribution of footwear received as donations;
-Collaboration with civic groups, churches, schools, companie and individuals to plan and implement shoe drives, generally in a city or localized region;
-Hosting/sponsoring special events (such as retail trade-in incentives, marathons and other races, golf tournaments, parties at trade shos, etc.);
-The creation of marketing materials in support of special events;
-Special project collaboration and unique marketing avenues with other charities, celebrities, professional athletes and more.
Story created Mar 25, 2008 - 14:25:28 CDT.
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