Shoes4Souls
Stacy DeGraffenreid 10 months ago // 1 response // Green Life Gibber-gabber

I know here I go with the shoes again!

I heard about this organization from a friend and thought I would share with all of you. This is their story.

Soles4Souls has a simple concept they get shoes and give them away.

In the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami that hit Southeast Asia, Wayne Elsey, the Founder and CEO of Soles4Souls™ Inc., felt compelled to do something. Like many of us, he did not know what to do.

He was at home one night, watching TV and he saw a picture of a single shoe washing up on the beach. That triggered a few calls to some other executives in the footwear industry and the subsequent donation of a quarter of a million shoes to victims in the devastated countries.

A year later when Katrina hit, Wayne called the same group of friends and they sent three-quarters of a million shoes down to the gulf coast communities affected by the hurricane. In all honesty, he admits that he did not expect such an immediate and successful turnout. This left him wondering, why not start a non-profit and do this all the time? One year later, Soles4Souls was formally created.

Soles4Souls, Inc. estimates that Americans have 1.5 billion pairs of unworn shoes lying around, and this charitable organization says they can use each and every one of them to aid disadvantaged people worldwide. Soles4Souls has a simple mission: to impact as many lives as possible with the gift of shoes. Learn how you can change the world, one pair at a time, by visiting www.soles4souls.org.

For those of you who are thinking I have all 1.5 billion in my closet, I counted and I am not there quite yet! But I will be less a few pairs when I send them off to this great organization!