Each month we post a wish list for a different organization in town. It is our hope that people in the community who see this list might be able to help meet these needs in some way. If you have a wish list you would like posted, please send us an email with your attached wish list. If everyone gives just a little, we can help others.
We decided to feature Soles4Souls this month because of the amazing work they are doing for families in Haiti. This is an outstanding organization who performs miracles day after day each year for millions of people world-wide. Soles4Souls is a charity that collects shoes from the warehouses of footwear companies and the closets of people like you. The charity distributes these shoes free of charge to people in need, regardless of race, religion, class, or any other criteria. Since 2005, Soles4Souls has given away over 5.5 
million pairs of new and gently worn shoes (currently donating one pair every 9 seconds.) The shoes have been distributed to people in over 125 countries, including Kenya, Thailand, Nepal and the United States.
Soles4Souls facilitates the donations of shoes, which are used to aid the hurting worldwide. Shoe companies, retailers, and individuals can donate footwear (both new and used). Soles4Souls is a 501(c)(3) recognized by the IRS, and donating parties are eligible for tax advantages.
The idea behind gifts of shoes is nothing new to the Soles4Souls team, as they coordinated relief efforts for the Asian Tsunami and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, netting over 1 Million pairs donated for these disasters. The team originally operated as www.katrinashoes.org with several churches partnering in the collection and distribution of footwear.
Soles4Souls has a simple concept: we get shoes and give them away.
In the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami that hit Southeast Asia, Wayne Elsey, the Founder and CEO of Soles4SoulsTM 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 over a million pairs of 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.
It has been that simple: changing the world one pair at a time.
Soles4Souls receives large donations from footwear companies, retailers, churches, nonprofit ministries, civic groups, schools, and individuals and saw that this could become a full time organization. That's why Soles4Souls was created - to facilitate the donations from these groups to the people who desperately need footwear.
Host a Shoe Drive
You can help us sponsor a shoe drive by volunteering to collect and package shoes from your area. To get started, please determine the dates of your drive and how many drop off locations will you have and we will send collection boxes and brochures. You will only need one box per location, as the boxes we provide are for collection only. Shoes should be shipped using appropriate shipping vessels. Additionally, we recommend collecting $1.00 per pair to help offset the fees of shipping the shoes to our warehouse. Or if it more reasonable, you can drop the shoes off at one of our warehouses.
Create Your Own Fundraiser
Your organization has a unique opportunity to partner with Soles4Souls in our mission of Changing the World One Pair at a Time®. Our fundraising program is designed to enhance the natural sense of social responsibility and also help raise critical funds for your organization.
Our new custom fundraiser site is specifically created for individuals and groups to help raise funds for our organization as well as their own. The site is a friendly medium where donors can come and learn more about the organization's or individual's fundraiser and even donate funds online.
It is super easy to get started and you can have your personal page up and running in 10 minutes or less! Just a couple easy steps and you are raising funds for Soles4Souls:
1. Visit soles4soulsfundraising.org and click on get started.
2. Complete the quick form and submit. Your page will be approved by one of our staff and once you receive the approval email, you are ready to customize your page.
3. Sign-in using the username and password you established at application and use the simple utlility to tell your story and add videos and photos. You can even have people join your fundraiser and fundraise with you!
4. Finally, tell everyone you know that you are helping people around the world receive the gift of shoes. Use the handy Share Feature on your profile to link Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and many others!
The custom fundraising pages are great for individuals, businesses, groups and organizations - just about anyone who has a few minutes and a few friends who want to make a difference. Get started today!
Here's a fundraiser with a new twist... helping those in need!
Like many organizations, yours probably seeks fundraising ideas that will generate essential funds. Soles4Souls is a non-profit organization that has distributed over 3.5 million pairs of shoes to people in need around the world, and we would like to offer you an innovative fundraising option. Here's how your organization can earn money while making a significant difference in the lives of others.
As Easy as 1, 2, 3...
1. Participants accept monetary donations from family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors for new Soles4Souls clogs or flip flops.
2. Soles4Souls ships the shoes directly to people in need, domestically and internationally.
3. For every pair of $5 flip-flops or $10 clogs sponsored, your organization receives 40% of the proceeds in the form of a check from Soles4Souls, along with unique incentives for participants.
Currently, an estimated 300 million children are without shoes, and your organization can be part of the solution to this crisis. This simple act of giving footwear can help prevent infectious diseases and will improve the quality of life for each recipient.
Thank you in advance for partnering with us and making what we do successful by helping with our mission of Changing the World One Pair at a Time.TM Your gift will make a difference where it is best suited at the time we receive your donation. Businesses can get involved in many ways including host a shoe drive and create a custom fundraiser or check out these other ways to help.
More ideas on how you can help
All 55 Sports Chalet stores are accepting gently worn men's, women's and kids shoes until Sunday, January 31.
All the shoes collected will be sent directly to Soles4Souls for distribution to the Haitian people.
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