Galveston.com & Company Shoe Donation Drive Update
[January 24, 2010] - A message from Lee Roane, president of Galveston.com & Company.
Ten days ago, when we sent out a call to help the people of Haiti, we had no idea what would happen. The response has been incredible. We have already received over 2,500 pairs of shoes.
In addition to individuals dropping off a pair of shoes or a bag of flip flops, we have been contacted by several churches, schools, organizations, and businesses offering help. Frost Bank, Legacy Christian Academy of Beaumont, Starbuck stores in the area, Brookside Intermediate School (CCISD), Moody Methodist Church, The Port of Galveston, Code Pink Woman for Peace – Houston, Float Pool & Patio Bar, Landry’s Restaurants in Kemah and Galveston, Acts Christian Church of Texas City, and many individuals at UTMB and GISD have either delivered truck loads of shoes or promised to do so.
The charity we are working with is Souls 4 Souls (www.souls4soles.org), which has pledged to send 1 million pairs of shoes to Haiti over the next 12 months. We hope to get the shoes we collect on the next container that they send to the ravaged nation. We will continue to collect this week and may try to ship the first boxes to Souls 4 Soles on Friday, January 29, 2010 . So, please drop off your shoes by Thursday, January 28, 2010. Our office is at 523 24th Street in downtown Galveston. Someone is usually here to accept donations until 5:30 pm during the week.
Wrapping a rubber band around each pair is very helpful. Writing a message of hope on the flip flops is a nice touch. I thought the “Dieu est avec vous” and “Jésus vous aime” messages written by the kids at Legacy Christian Academy was very special.
It appears that we could collect as many at 10,000 pair of shoes. Shipping them to Alabama to be loaded on the container headed for Haiti is going to get costly. You are welcome to include a cash donation with the shoes to help pay for shipping. Checks may be made out to Galveston.com. 100% of the donations will be used for shipping or sent to a Haiti Charity.
Thank you to everyone that has helped! - Lee
The Original Request from Galveston.com & Company
The people of Haiti have suffered enormously and lost so many of their loved ones due to the recent earthquake. Many have nothing. No home. No clothing. No possessions whatsoever.
At this moment when they have so little but need so much, we at Galveston.com & Company - like you - just wish we could do something, anything to help. So we've come up with Flip Flops and Shoes.
We all have at least one pair in our closet. And that lowly pair of either flip flips or shoes could be something that could possibly help someone in need. If only a little.
Won't you please make a donation? A pair of your new or gently-used flip flops or shoes can protect a Haitian’s foot from an injury that could potentially lead to a serious infection or disease. And Soles 4 Souls (www.soles4souls.org) is a charity mounting a massive response of emergency relief to the victims of the 7.0-magnitude earthquake near Haiti’s capital city of Port-au-Prince.
The Souls4Souls.org website puts it this way, “As you can imagine, the amount of broken glass, twisted metal and raw sewage is staggering. We will rush this protective footwear to them as quickly as possible.” The website offers this plea,“Your consideration of simply cleaning out your closets can make a significant difference in the quality of life of someone in need.”
Why send flip flops? President of Galveston.com & Company, Lee Roane puts it this way, “Horrified with the scenes coming in from Haiti, I felt helpless, until I looked up in my closet and saw several pair of unused flip flops sitting on the shelf. It occurred to me that everyone I know in Galveston can probably say the same thing.”.
So, if you’re feeling creative, write a message of hope on the flip flops. Then, wrap a rubber band around the pair to keep them together. And drop them off at Galveston.com & Company’s office at 523 24th Street, Galveston, Texas, 77550. We will see that they make it to Haiti.
For additional information...
Galveston.com is pleased to provide City of Galveston Press Releases as a service to our website visitors. For information, contact Alicia Cahill, Public Information Officer for the City of Galveston, at (409)797-3546. You're also welcome to email her.
About Galveston.com & Company...
Galveston.com & Company, Inc.is a destination marketing corporation based in Galveston, Texas. The company specializes in destination portals, as well as online lodging, cruise, parking, and transportation reservations; and event ticketing via its proprietary DestinationNext module. For more information, contact Galveston.com & Company at via phone (409)763-8676 or email at websites@galveston.com.
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people of Haiti, we had no idea what would happen. The response has been incredible. We have already received over 2,500 pairs of shoes.
