Commissioner Jarvis Woodburn helped students find the perfect fit by helping them size their new shoes
The Wadesboro Rotary Club was pleased to participate in the Samaritan’s Feet Project at Morven Elementary School Monday. Pictured left to right are; Commissioner Jarvis Woodburn, Mr. John Witherspoon, President of Wadesboro Rotary Club Ashley Scarborough, and Mr. Jeremy Taylor.
MORVEN — Monday the Wadesboro Rotary Club donated 100 pairs of shoes through the Samaritan’s Feet International Project to 100 under-served children at Morven Elementary school.
President of the Wadesboro Rotary Club Ashley Scarborough said, “On behalf of the Wadesboro Rotary Club, I was honored to participate in the Samaritan’s Feet Project. It was truly inspiring to help provide new shoes to the deserving students at Morven Elementary School. Moments like these remind us of the power of service and the impact we can make in our communities.”
The project is modeled after previous Rotary “Happy Feet” Projects and the partnership provides an opportunity for clubs within D7680 to assist Title 1 schools, while benefiting families in Africa.
Samaritan’s Feet is a humanitarian aid organization, founded in 2003, with the purpose of inspiring hope by providing shoes to those in need around the world. Rotarians from have worked with Samaritan’s Feet over the past several years at their warehouse in Charlotte and in other capacities throughout the district. This partnership provides us with an opportunity to combine our efforts throughout the district.
Since its founding in 2003, Samaritan’s Feet and its partners have served over 10.1 million people across 109 countries and over 600 U.S. cities. Although most shoes distributed by Samaritan’s Feet are to prevent serious foot diseases common in developing countries, the reality is that even in America, a lack of decent shoes can create embarrassment and shame for children, impacting their health, self-confidence, and well-being.
The framework for district 7680 – Samaritan’s Feet partnership enables:
• Participating Rotary clubs throughout the district to provide shoes to deserving students at Title 1 schools.
• Students would also be provided with a Samaritan’s Feet tote bag which contains shoes and a personalized note. (Notes could be personalized by sponsors, Interactors, Rotaractors, or club members.)
• Each pair of shoes and the tote bag cost $30.00. Clubs are free to identify sponsoring opportunities with local businesses who may wish to be associated with a project of this type.
• Each $30.00 shoe purchase includes a pair of shoes which will be donated to a community in need in Africa. (EVA crocs.) Supporting a child here, also supports a child in Africa.
• Our goal is to provide at least 1,000 pairs of shoes on the same day, maximizing the impact of the project.
• The anticipated time frame would be in the week following the Christmas recess. District 7680 has an opportunity to impact the lives of hundreds of students in economically disadvantaged areas by providing students with a free pair of shoes and other items. This will happen as a result of our partnership with Samaritan’s Feet, a non-profit in Charlotte, devoted to providing shoes to children around the world with few options and little hope. These shoes will help provide students with a positive attitude as they embark on a post-holiday semester.
For each pair purchased here, another pair will be provided to a child in need in Africa, making this a local/international program of impact.
