How many pairs of shoes are in your closet…right now?  I’ve never thought that I fulfilled the stereotype of the female shoe-buyer, yet as I write this post there are 19 pairs (+ 4 paris of “flip flops”) sitting in my closet.  That’s how many I have right now.  I cannot even begin to estimate how many pairs of shoes I have worn throughout the past 28 years.  

What’s sobering is that it is estimated that Americans have 1.5 billion pairs of unworn shoes lying in their closets while over 300 million children around the world have never owned a pair of shoes.  

Soles4Souls is an amazing charity based in Nashville, TN that has one mission: get shoes to people who need shoes. Over 300 million people around the world don’t have shoes and are forced to walk around unsafe and in potentially life-threatening conditions. Not only is it unsafe physically, but having to look down all the time causes these people to also live without dignity and confidence.

Today, you have the opportunity be part of something bigger.  Today you can be part of impacting the lives of 50,000 people by the end of 2008!!!

HOW DOES IT WORK?
Go to 50000shoes.com. A $5 donation buys two pairs of shoes.

Everyone has $5 (or more!)…and everyone has 2 minutes. From start to finish, donating is literally three clicks. It is so, so easy…and can make a huge impact in someone’s life.

YOU CAN WIN A TRIP TO GIVE SOMEONE THEIR FIRST PAIR OF SHOES!
Beyond the fact that the blogging world can literally impact 50,000 people before the end of the year, one person (and their guest) will be chosen at random to hand deliver the shoes they purchased on a Soles4Souls trip to Mexico. Can you imagine handing someone their very first pair of shoes?

Five bucks + Three clicks + Two minutes. That’s all…and it can make a HUGE difference!!

I’m in!  This morning I made my donation.  Will you join me? 

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Nashville-based Soles4Souls™ facilitates the donations of both new and used shoes, which are used to aid the hurting worldwide. Since its inception, Soles4Souls has distributed more than 3.5 million pairs (or one pair every 23 seconds) to people in 61 countries, including Honduras, Romania, Thailand, and the Sudan.  The charity has been featured on CNN Headline News, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, ABC News, FOX, CBS, and hundreds of regional outlets around North America.  Soles4Souls is a 501(c)(3) recognized by the IRS; donating parties are eligible for tax advantages. Visit  www.giveshoes.org for more information.