“Soles 4 Souls Month in Kelowna (Canada)”
Kelowna Mayor Walter Gray and Roy’s Shoes Jim (Roy) Belshaw
&
Soles4Soles CFO/CEO Kevin Goughary & CAO Todd McKee
Press Conference
Monday April 2nd 2012 - 1:00 to 2:00 pm
Roys Shoes – 1627 Ellis Street, Kelowna BC V1Y 2A8
Soles4Souls Canada
Changing the world, One Pair at a time
April 1st 2012 through April 30th 2012
Kelowna , BC –From April 1st through April 30th with participating locations across Kelowna gently worn shoes will be collected as part of our goal to collect 100,000 pairs of shoes in the month of April as part of Sole4Souls Canada’s Million Shoe Mission.In 2010 Jim Belshaw started Soles4Souls Canada and with the support of the citizens of Kelowna proceeded to collect 40,000 pairs of shoes for Soles4Souls. In 2011 60,000 pairs of shoes were collected.
This year we are proud to have for our launch Soles4Soles.org. CFO/CEO Kevin Goughary & CAO Todd McKee with us to launch this year’s campaign.
Our goal this year is to collect 100,000 pairs of gently worn shoes in the month of April as part of Sole4Souls Canada’s Million Shoe Mission.
We are proud to also announce that this year as part of our Soles4Souls Million Shoes Mission we will be collecting shoes in Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec. The Long-term goal is to make April Soles4Soles Month in Canada.
Local Kelowna Social agencies will be supported: Last year 7,000 pairs of the 60,000 pairs of shoes collected remained in the Okanagan and were distributed out to the community through agencies like Gospel Mission, Now Canada, Kelowna Women’s Shelter and the Friendship Center. The remaining shoes were shipped to a Soles4Souls sorting center in Nevada where they were resorted and shipped to the people most in need, primarily Haiti last year.
The remaining shoes will be shipped to the Soles4Souls distribution Centre in Nevada where they will be sorted and shipped to where needed around the world.
In the last 2 year Souls4Souls Canada, collecting shoes in the Interior BC has collected 115,000 pairs of shoes. This Year we will be collecting shoes in Kelowna, Edmonton, Montreal and Kelowna.
Since its inception in 2004 Soles4Souls has distributed over 17 million pairs of shoes, and has responded to more than 40 natural disasters worldwide with crisis relief aid, including Hurricane Katrina, the Haiti earthquake in 2010, the Japan earthquake, and the Alabama and Missouri tornadoes in 2011.
With 1 in 4 people around the world living in abject poverty, the shoe charity also assists individuals living in developing nations and in the U.S. and Canada who cannot afford shoes.
In the last few years the tragedy in Haiti and Japan reminds us of the 300 million children around the world who live a life of tragedy and disaster every day. By giving them the gift of shoes, you tell them that it’s possible to dream beyond their current situation and remind them that there are people who love and care about them.
If you’re interested in supporting Soles4Souls’ relief efforts, let me encourage you to visit www.soles4soulscanada.com to find the nearest shoe drop-off location. Monetary donations can be made also be made.
Situations like Haiti and Japan remind us just how much we have. Consider sharing your extra shoes and a few extra dollars to help change the lives of people around the world with the gift of shoes.
3 ways to help
1) Drop off shoe locations at anyone of the drop off locations see http://soles4soulskelowna.blogspot.ca/ for all locations in Kelowna.2) A $1.00 donation buys 1 pair of NEW SANDALS. Go to www.soles4soulscanada.com/donate
3) Organize a shoe drive at school, church, and your place of business or your neighborhood!!!
WE NEED YOU TO CLEAN OUT YOUR CLOSETS!!!
Estimates are that every person has 3 or 4 pairs at least in their closet that are not worn any more but still in good shape. We ask that you clean out your closets but convince your friends, neighbors and relatives to do the same. We ask that the shoes have no holes in the soles and are in decent shape. All footwear including sandals and boots are accepted and needed.
PLEASE TIE SHOES TOGETHER OR USE ELASTIC BANDS TO HOLD SHOES IN PAIRS
It is also the GREEN thing to do. There is tons of discarded footwear in the landfills that contain toxic glue that holds our shoes together, when these break-down it can leak into our water supply and atmosphere.Kelowna citizens and companies interested in donating can visit the Soles4Souls at www.soles4soulscanada.com or call Jim Belshaw @ 250-763-5696
SOLES4SOULS CANADA CONTACT:
Jim Belshaw
250-763-5696
-30-
No comments:
Post a Comment