Heart-warming stories like this make even the worst day seem not so bad.  Even when times are tough, you can still help make a difference – the students at Van Buren High School show how:

Instructor Kristen Marshall, at Van Buren High School in Keosauqua, Iowa energized her students to help with relief for the Haitian earthquake victims.

After hearing about  Soles4Souls efforts to collect lightly used shoes for shipment to Haiti, Ms. Marshall (through her Rachel’s Challenge volunteer group at Van Buren HS) started a shoe drive as a service project. The students’ enthusiasm snowballed from an original goal of 500 pairs  into a county-wide drive that netted 2568 pairs of shoes for Haiti! Foot Solutions of Cedar Rapids is a drop-off point for Soles for Souls in Eastern Iowa and arranged to forward the collections to Soles4Souls regional collection center in Sheldon, Iowa for transfer to Haiti along with several hundred additional pairs left at the store by shoppers in the Cedar Rapids area.

Cedar Rapids Foot Solutions is continuously collecting lightly used shoes for Soles4Souls, who then ships shoes to the needy in the U.S. and other countries regularly.

What kind of shoes can you donate? All types of still usable shoes in all sizes are appreciated, even dress shoes. Dress shoes are frequently forwarded to shelters where recipients can use the dressier product to prepare for job interviews. In Haiti, people that might be barefoot or only wearing sandals in the tropical climate now need enclosed shoes to protect their feet from the rubble left by the earthquake.

Have you donated shoes to Soles4Souls? We want to hear about it- Share your story with us for a chance to be featured on our blog!

As you know, many of our Foot Solutions retail locations have become official ‘drop off sites’ for Soles4Souls- over 100 of our stores have signed up and the number keeps growing!  Our experience with Soles4Souls has been….well, simply amazing.  Every time we call with questions (and we call often), we’re greeted with an enthusiastic voice excited to help.  To say thanks, we put together a short video of our journey with Soles4Souls- hope you enjoy it and find a few pairs of shoes in your own closet that you can give to someone who needs them.

Meet Caitlyn, a 4th grade student with a big heart.  When she heard about the devastating earthquake in Haiti, she wanted to do something to help.   Since organizations like Red Cross were collecting monetary donations, Caitlyn began her search for other ways to help. She typed in a Google search and found soles4souls- they were collecting shoes for Haiti, giving Caitlyn the idea to host her own shoe drive.

“First I wrote down a list of everyone in my neighborhood and asked my friends and family if they would have something to give.  The last weekend in January is when I started collecting shoes… Neighbors began dropping off their shoes off at my house, and I also offered to pick shoes up at my neighbors….

…..After I collected the shoes,  I would tie them together and put them in boxes.  I talked to my principal about hosting a shoe drive, and he made it a 4th grade project for the school!   A lot of my teachers brought shoes in too, and my little brother and sister’s teachers brought shoes in.  My school collected shoes just for 10 days-February 1-10th.   Everyday after school since I started, I picked up shoes.  My goal was 500 pairs of shoes, but I didn’t think I would collect more pairs than my goal!”

Caitlyn and her mom delivered all 550 pairs of shoes to Foot Solutions, and they have been shipped off to Soles4Souls to be distributed in Haiti.  Thank you Caitlyn for your amazing efforts-its very touching to see you devote your time to truly help make a difference!

Recycling shoes is no joke- just ask Joanne Ziolkowski, owner of the Foot Solutions in Westchester, New Jersey.  In one day, Joanne collected nearly 1,300 pairs of shoes donated by the local community!  Every pair makes a difference- there are over 300,000 million people around the world who can’t afford shoes.  After Joanne’s incredibly successful event, I had to know what prompted her to host a shoe drive!

Why a shoe drive?
“I realize how important having shoes can be to quality of life.  I experienced several broken ankles growing up and found that proper shoes made the difference in being able to walk comfortably.

I believe the spirit of love and giving is the real voice of America, so I wanted to spread that message out into the global community.

Also, my store is located at the Voice of America Centre – the former location of the broadcasting towers for the global-reaching Voice of America radio station (used by the U.S. for decades to broadcast the American view into overseas countries behind the Iron Curtain, etc.). ”

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Recycling shoes is easy to do- follow this link to find a donation location nearest you, or- follow the Soles4Souls RV Tour. Soles4Souls accepts all types of gently worn shoes; dress, casual, athletic and especially childrens shoes.

Learn More About Soles4Souls.

Let’s face it, times are tough.  You’ve cut back  on entertainment and weekend dining, but money is still tight.   You just can’t afford to keep giving money to your favorite charity.  No matter how bad life seems, there is always someone who has it worse than you. Help shine a little light in these dark times by becoming a ’sole’ ambassador.  Make a difference without spending a dime, and donate your used shoes to   Soles4Souls- a non-profit organization that helps donate new and used shoes across the world to those in need.

We’re using  Social Media for Social Good-

and challenge you to do the same.

How many shoes in your closet are gathering dust? Did you know over 300 million children around the world don’t have shoes? And that doesn’t even include adults.  It’s time for some serious spring cleaning to help put shoes on the feet of those in need.  Our goal is to collect over 50,000 pairs of your shoes-strictly by spreading the word through Social Media.

“How does giving a pair of shoes truly help someone?”

“You never know when life will hit you hard or where a disaster will hit. One day you have everything you need, the next day you may only have your life. A pair of shoes can help people begin the rebuilding process. Shoes not only bring hope but in millions of cases they can save lives.

Diseases such as hookworms can be fatal. When children are continuously infected by many worms, the loss of iron and protein can retard growth and mental development, sometimes irreversibly. Hookworm infections occur mostly in the tropical and subtropical climates such as sub-Saharan Africa followed by Southeast Asia, India and the Americas and infect about 600 million people – about one-fifth of the world’s population.   -Soles4Souls CEO Wayne Elsey

Here’s what to do:

1. Clean your closets, gym bag, any place shoes are hiding.

2. Donate your shoes! find locations around the country here

2. Spread the word on Twitter, or your favorite social site.

I donated ____ pairs of shoes to Soles4Souls. You can too: http://tinyurl.com/nrkgyr

Your voice is more powerful than ever.  Let’s use it to help those who can’t help themselves. If you’re up to the challenge, we’ll double the goal to 50,000 pairs of shoes.  If we’re going to do it, let’s do it big!  Are you in?

A simple, selfless good deed is all it takes to make a difference. It also sets us apart from others.

Follow @FootSolutions on Twitter- together we can use Social Media for Social Good!

Many thanks to Mashable for inspiring us to share our story through Social Media!        

The Soles4Souls RV pulled into Foot Solutions World Headquarters despite the torrential downpour.  It wasn’t the most beautiful day, but that didn’t stop customers from donating shoes- in fact, we collected an overwhelming 500 pairs of shoes!  CBS Better Mornings Atlanta’s Tracye Hutchins heard about the overwhelming donation and stopped by to interview Foot Solutions Founder and CEO Ray Margiano.

Donating shoes has never been easier- clean out your closet and drop your shoes off at your nearest participating Foot Solutions!

If you haven’t already heard, Foot Solutions and Soles4Souls are teaming up in efforts to help those in need.  Soles4Souls is  sending a bright blue RV around the country collecting gently used shoes and distributing them worldwide.   Foot Solutions has already collected nearly 1,000 pairs of shoes just by being a sponsor for the RV Tour, and we’re not stopping there.

Allan and Silvana Clark, the ‘Sole’ Ambassadors behind the wheel of the RV,  will be stopping at twenty Foot Solutions locations around the country- including our World Headquarters on April 13th!  In a recent radio interview, Silvana expressed her passion and excitement for the RV Tour and explains their mission to ‘Change The World One Pair at a Time’.   Click the link below for the radio interview:

http://wamu.org/programs/mc/

'Sole' Ambassadors Allan and Silvana Clark