ST. CHARLES, Illinois – If one shoe changed Cinderella’s life, imagine what a pair of shoes could do. The cast of Cinderella at Noble Fools Theatricals could not have come up with a more enchanting theme. 

Beth Conrad, part of the shows public relations team and mom of a cast member, thought it would be a great idea to collect shoes for Buckner International’s Shoes for Orphan Souls in order to promote the upcoming performance.

“The idea came to me when I was on a nature walk. I was thinking about how we could promote the show while helping others,” she said. “I have to say it was God’s idea. He planted the idea and I just presented it.”

The 13 member cast of 6 to 8 year olds, along with the parents, theater staff and the community, began collecting shoes, socks, shoelaces and donations in late April. Several local business locations served as drop-off points for shoes and people attending the May show were invited to donate a pair of shoes, socks or laces instead of paying an admission fee.

Once the shoes were collected, the cast members and their moms hosted a shoe packing party. Conrad said both the kids and their moms were excited about touching every pair of donated shoes.

“It was heartwarming to see our kids helping other kids,” she said.

In total, the production collected 131 pairs of shoes, 195 pairs of socks, four pairs of shoe laces and a $35 cash donation. Their gifts will soon give vulnerable children around the world a chance at their own fairy-tale.

To learn more about hosting your own shoe drive, visit www.shoesfororphansouls.org/host.shtml or call 1-866-774-SHOE.

Twenty-five years ago I was adopted by my parents. Little did I know that from that moment on the Lord was molding and teaching me for my first ‘real’ job. I use the term job very loosely because it really has become my heart and life mission helping at-risk children and orphans who aren’t as blessed to have the gift of a loving family like I am.

Growing up, I was in a great little Christian bubble where I knew right from wrong and was blessed not to stray from the truth on many occasions. I was a spoiled little girl who had my daddy wrapped around my finger. Looking back I took so many things for granted in my life, but now I can see why the Lord provided all those blessings.  My Heavenly Father wanted me to grow up walking in His ways so that I would have an understanding of His love, provision, grace, and character to share with others.

Three years ago my life changed from being that spoiled little girl to a woman who is seeking the Lord and wanting to help others who are not as privileged as I.  This change happened when part of my job with Buckner and Shoes for Orphan Souls was to travel to an orphanage in Latvia.  You might be asking where in the world is Latvia? It’s ok. I did the same thing when I was told that I was leading 35 individuals from all over the United States to this very small country on the Baltic Sea in Eastern Europe.  This small country now has a large piece of my heart.

It is so funny how the Lord works because he knew that my Type A personality would be concerned with trying to be the responsible trip leader and making sure that everything was going great. But He also knew I was there for a different reason and my ‘job’ soon changed after seeing the kids in Jurmala Spriditis orphanage. As I walked in, a group of about 40 children were all sitting quietly in chairs waiting on our group. They just stared at us while we brought in boxes of shoes, crafts, and games. Not the reaction that I was looking for or hoping to receive. It really made me question ‘why am I here when the kids don’t really seem to care?’ I asked the director of the orphanage the last time the kids had a group here to visit and play with them. “Last year” she replied. “Most of the children have a parent or relative that comes once a year to check on them and then they leave them behind for the government to take care of.”

I just stood there looking at the children thinking no one deserves to have a quick visit from a loved one and then be tossed to the side. I couldn’t believe that I had just questioned being there. I felt so broken, so helpless. Who would want their child to grow up like this? It made me think of my own life, being adopted and growing up with loving parents all the time. I couldn’t imagine not seeing family, friends or even strangers for that matter, only once a year. I quickly dropped the bags in my hands and went to fill my arms with children, giving each kid a hug or a high five. The room became filled with laughter. Games started to be played, Bible story skits were being acted out, friendships were being made, and children were receiving shoes, all in this little building in a farming community that I didn’t think anyone even knew about.

There were two little boys in the corner, Tomas and Richards (top photo), who quickly caught my eye and we were together the whole time. They even looked like they could have been related to me. That is something that I wasn’t emotionally ready for when I came to Latvia. I was thinking the whole time that I could have been a child like them. If my birth mother hadn’t given me up for adoption and if God hadn’t picked out the Stark family for me to be a part of, then Tomas’ and Richards’ life could have been mine.

I was able to share the love of Christ by playing cars, teaching them about Jesus and fitting them with a new pair of shoes. It was so awesome to see them so happy and so excited about all of these new things, but especially the new shoes. I have always loved shoes and now shoes are my life.  I love to shop for shoes, and I get really excited when I get a new pair, but now I really love to distribute them to children like Tomas and Richards because I get to see that excitement on their faces. These shoes were the first new pair that they had ever received that was their own. Clean. Right size. Ones where Superman light ups when you run. And no sharing! What a great combination.

I have the privilege of working with people all over the United States in collecting new shoes for children like Tomas and Richards. In 2008 when Shoes for Orphan Souls traveled back to Latvia, I was able to lead that trip again. It was amazing. I walked into Jurmala Spriditis and things were different. There weren’t two little boys quietly in the corner, but now three boys who ran to me so excited that someone they spent time with before had come back to visit.  Even though I don’t get to see Tomas and Richards, I pray for them and other children around the world that we can provide a pair of shoes to warm their feet and the gospel of Christ to warm their hearts.

Julia Stark is the program manager for Shoes for Orphan Souls, a ministry of Buckner International. To learn more about Shoes for Orphan Souls or how you can host a shoe drive, collect shoes, or go on a trip, visit www.shoesfororphansouls.org.

By Analiz G. Schremmer

OAXACA, Mexico — In baggies that read, “Cobijando sus Pasos” or “Blanketing your Steps,” 247 Zapotec children in Oaxaca, Mexico received new shoes in December.

An additional 1,326 pairs were distributed to children throughout the country, said Dexton Shores, director of ministry development.

“Of the 1,326 pairs, 219 were collected in the first national shoe drive in Mexico. Nineteen Mexican churches participated,” he added.

Shores said most of the children who received new shoes participate in Buckner programs in Mexico, including community centers and foster group homes. It was the first pair of new shoes most of the children had ever received.

“In addition to supplying the basic need of protecting and covering their feet, this gave hope and joy they had never experienced,” Shores said.

“For the children in the Zapotec village, these were the first tennis shoes they ever owned, as most only have had sandals. They were overcome with emotion that someone would give them brand new shoes.”

Shores said a pair of shoes was equivalent to four or five days of wages for the Zapotec people. “A family of four children would have to give three weeks of wages to buy four new pairs of shoes.

“They were visibly moved by the personal notes and photos they found in their shoes from the donors and could not believe that a complete stranger cared enough about them to send them shoes,” he added.

To help provide shoes for children around the world, visit www.ShoesforOrphanSouls.org or call 1-866-774-SHOE.

“One of our biggest needs is for hygiene kits,” said Matt Asato, Buckner director of humanitarian aid.

Complete hygiene kits include the following items:
· Hand towel
· Wash cloth
· Toothpaste (4.6 oz or larger)
· Toothbrush (in original package)
· Bar of soap (in original package)
· Comb
· Wet wipes
· Shampoo
· Bandages (travel size or larger)
· Tissues – 2 travel pack sizes
· Feminine hygiene products (18 or more per pack)

To collect and send a kit, fill a two-gallon sized Ziploc bag with the items listed above and mail or drop it off at the Buckner Center for Humanitarian Aid, located at 5405 Shoe Drive, Mesquite, Texas 75149. Or to schedule a drop off, please call 214-328-7463.

Other items being collected include new clothing, shoes, socks, tents, blankets, baby food, and new medical supplies. Click here to download a complete list.

Four shipping containers are being provided by GAiN (Global Aid Network), and Buckner is filling them for distribution within the next couple of weeks. Buckner is also coordinating the distribution of medical supplies and hygiene kits within the week, Asato said.

Aid will be sent to support Gladys Thomas’s Hope Hospital, which is receiving many casualties from the quakes, as well as the children living in the Children’s Village orphanage.

Dillon International, Buckner’s international adoption affiliate, has worked with Thomas for 25 years and places children from her orphanage into adoptive families in the United States.

To give financially, donors may call the Buckner Foundation at 214-758-8050 or click here to give online.

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A total of 121 Shoes for Orphan Soulks were distributed to Ukrainian orphans by An Orphan's Bright Star, a non-profit that serves orphans in the Ukraine.

By Analiz G. Schremmer

Earlier this year, Buckner International partnered with An Orphan’s Bright Star to send 121 Shoes for Orphan Souls to children and teens in the Green Forest Internat orphanage in Kharkiv, Ukraine. The children received them as Easter presents.

“Many parcels arrived from the United States containing beautiful new shoes,” said Green Forest Internat Director Vasily Nikolaevich Goga. “Our children were dreaming of new shoes from early spring, but they had none. Suddenly, this dream was made reality when shoes came to us from you. Our children could not believe it at first.

“These are all ours to choose?” they asked. “They found so much happiness in trying on and wearing these beautiful shoes. Our children and staff are happy that they have such friends as you.”

Rachel Garton, director of Shoes for Orphan Souls said she was glad to see the pictures of the orphan children receiving their new shoes.
“This is what we are all about,” Garton said. “Supplying shoes brings happiness to the orphans and fulfills a basic need for orphan children. The shoes are vital to their health and wellbeing and we were glad to partner with An Orphan’s Bright Star to make life better for these children.”

An Orphan’s Bright is a non-profit focuses on serving orphans in the Ukraine. They took care of shipping the Buckner shoes to orphans in the country.

Help Buckner International put shoes on the feet of orphans. Donate a pair of shoes now.

Women from the Junior League of Dallas sort shoes with children from Buckner’s after-school programs in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. After sorting shoes, they helped each child choose a pair for themselves.

By Analiz G. Schremmer

DALLAS, Texas — Thirty-seven new members of the Junior League of Dallas participated in a provisional project with Buckner International and Shoes for Orphan Souls.

The women spent time making crafts with 29 children from two of Buckner’s after-school programs in the Dallas/ Fort Worth area. They also worked with the children to sort shoes for orphans and needy children around the world.

After their service, the women from the Junior League helped each child find a pair of shoes to take home.

“We spent the first Saturday sorting shoes, food and clothing as part of a 20-hour project for new members,” said Tiffany Hartgraves, Junior League member who coordinated the event.

“The second Saturday we were able to work directly with the kids to help them find their perfect pair of shoes. It was a wonderful way to bring the project all together.”

Helen Goblirsch, Junior League of Dallas member, poses for a picture with one of the children from a Buckner after-school program. A group of 41 women from the Junior League spent 20 hours volunteering at the Buckner Center for Humanitarian Aid and working with children.

The Junior League of Dallas has been involved in the community since 1922, giving more than 120,000 hours of uncompensated time and more than a million dollars annually to help local non-profits.

Mandy Main, one of the Junior League volunteers, said she decided to participate in this project because she wanted to work with children.

“It’s amazing to see how many shoes go out of this warehouse! We packaged up 6,500 shoes last alone last Saturday,” she said.

The children did a step routine for the Junior League and taught them part of it. They hugged for pictures, laughed together and made new friends.

“It is great for the children to volunteer and to help those who are less fortunate than them instead of always being the recipients of help,” said Cheryl Williams, director of apartment ministries in the Wynnewood Community Services Center.

“It is empowering for them. And I know that their time with the Junior League ladies shows them that one day, they can grow up to be committed volunteers and make a difference in the world around them, too.”

By Analiz G. Schremmer

(HA NOI, Vietnam) — A pile of more than 240 shoes, booties and slippers were distributed to orphans living on the outskirts of the capital of Vietnam.

Among them was the two millionth donation to Shoes for Orphan Souls—a pair of Crocs that went to Ðàm Trung Hiêu, one of the boys at an orphanage near Hanoi.

The group of workers hauled bags brimming with gifts of school supplies, toiletries and medicine. They spent their time in the country doing crafts, playing games and encouraging the children.

Đàm Trung Hiêu receives the 2 millionth pair of Shoes for Orphan Souls that was donated to Buckner International.

The team’s service to Vietnam, a Communist country, was “to look after orphans… in their distress” (James 1:27). The team believed that through their service to the orphans the people of Vietnam may see the good deeds and praise our Father in Heaven.

“Through serving hands and loving hearts we were able to live out our faith in such a way that touched the hearts of the orphanage directors and teachers as well as each child,” said Jean Lewis, a trip participant. “Only our amazing God could take the little we were able to do to cause such a big impact.”

The children openly shared their stories and before the trip was over. The volunteers collected earfuls of tragedies.

“My father sold me for $7, so that he could buy food,” one child said. “My masters forced me to beg and they would beat me when I came back empty handed.”

Đàm Trung Hiêu proudly displays his new shoes.

Another girl talked of how her dad tried to kill her. “He beat me until I was unconscious, then he threw me into a lake,” she said. “My uncle saw me and pulled me out. After that I ran away and I eventually came to an orphanage.”

A third child, who could only see with one eye, told the story of how she lost the other. “I had begged for money and had made a lot of it, so the other street kids were jealous and so they used cigarettes to burn my eye.”

The stories were told desperately; they were anxious to be heard.

“It’s just nice to be able to show these children that they matter, to give them a gift of something just for them,” said Frank Dang, director of ministry in Vietnam. “And the orphanage director said they would not have been able to afford this kind of investment on their own.”

The children danced with their new Shoes for Orphan Souls and put them on their head to be silly for the camera. They were happy.

Vietnamese orphans laugh and play with their new pairs of Shoes for Orphan Souls.

“Buckner took care of every kid in the orphanage by measuring their old shoes and handed them the new ones,” Dang said. “So, from now on, the shoes that they have from Buckner will be the reminders of the love that Buckner brought to their lives. Some of the orphans wrote notes saying that the Buckner team left them with unforgettable memories through the gift of shoes and touching lessons. They are looking forward to having us next year.”

Shoes for Orphan Souls (SOS), a ministry of Buckner International, provides new shoes and socks to orphans and at-risk children in the United States and throughout the world. From conducting shoe drives to humanitarian aid trips, SOS offers hands-on opportunities to individuals, groups and organizations wanting to transform lives. Click here to donate a pair of shoes now.

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After months of anticipation, Shoes for Orphan Souls reached its goal of collecting 2 million shoes during its 10th anniversary year.

It’s an accomplishment director Rachel Garton says is, “huge! Two million pairs of shoes means two million children’s lives will be changed. It means two million children will feel what it’s like to be known and loved, and to feel special.”

Shoes for Orphan Souls volunteers Helen and Ken Benz, members of Hunter's Glen Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, sort Crocs received by Buckner International Sept. 1. The Global Aid Network (GAiN) helped secure 60,000 pairs of Crocs for Buckner. The shipment also put Shoes for Orphan Souls over the 2-million mark for shoes collected since 1999 when Buckner took over the program.

The two millionth shoe donation came in Sept. 1 from Crocs, who partners with the Global Aid Network (GAiN) to distribute shoes to needy children and families around the world. The company sent 60,000 brightly colored-shoes in six 18-wheeler trucks to the Buckner Center for Humanitarian Aid in Dallas.

Buckner and GAiN have partnered together to collect and distribute shoes and other humanitarian aid for several years.

The shoes will be delivered during an early September shoe distribution trip to Vietnam, a country where floods and poverty prevent most children from owning a pair of shoes. Many children in Vietnam suffer from diseases that could be prevented with shoes. It is the first Buckner trip to the country.

“We couldn’t do anything without the help of our shoe drive coordinators and donors,” Garton said. “I have been overwhelmed with the number of people who are willing to step up and do something, like host a shoe drive, to help children they may never meet. It’s so encouraging to see the hearts of others.”

Shoes for Orphan Souls has been collecting new shoes since 1999 and has shipped shoes to more than 65 countries around the world.  – Jenny Pope

Adrian Blackwell unloads a pallet of Crocs from an 18-wheeler at the Buckner Center for Humanitarian Aid.

Help Us Reach 2 Million More!

Now that we’ve reached our 2 million goal, we need your help to reach the next 2 million children around the world. Sign up today to host a shoe drive in your community or church and we’ll send you everything you need to make it a success.

Call us at 1-866-774-SHOE or visit www.ShoesforOrphanSouls.org today.

(SEGUIN, TEXAS) – Full appetites and a year’s worth of bragging rights were on the line at the third annual Taste of Seguin fundraiser June 17 at the Knights of Columbus Hall.

Taste of Seguin, an annual fundraiser benefiting Shoes for Orphan Souls, Orphan Outreach and the Seguin I.S.D., featured some of the top restaurants in town competing for the title of best appetizer, salad, entrée or dessert of the year.

The Kelly's -- Kelly Sullivan (left) and Kelly Follis (right) -- are pictured with Shoes for Orphan Souls coordinator Julia Stark. The "Kellys,' as they're known in the community, have played a critical role in establishing the fundraising event to support orphans worldwide.

According to Rosyln Nathanson, a first-time attendee, the Taste of Seguin definitely makes for a great community event while serving a good cause.

“I came all the way from San Antonio,” she said. “This has turned out to be a great event, as Seguin restaurants provide a home-cooked flare that a lot of people in the community can appreciate and enjoy coming to.”

This event, which started as a shoe drive nine years ago, has continued to grow into an annual community festival with a live auction and a performance from the local band, The Harleys. But whenever one mentions the Taste of Seguin, two names are always tagged along with it: Kelly Follis and Kelly Sullivan, otherwise known as “the Kelly’s.”

“The Kelly’s are a force to be reckoned with,” said Greg Ronning, pastor and lead vocalist of the Harleys. “They single-handedly pull this thing off every year. The crowd they brought in was huge and the money that will be raised will be as enormous as the community that supports it.”

Follis, who originally wanted to adopt, found out about Buckner through her research and learned about the need for children to have shoes. She decided she wanted to help and began to look for others who would be interested in helping in her community.

“I knew Kelly’s husband from school and knew she had adopted a son from Russia, so I felt she would be the person to help me,” Follis said. “We have been doing this ever since. When it’s all about the kids, people in our community can see that and they respond.”

“What is really great about fundraising for the children is that we don’t really have a goal. Every dollar we bring in is a dollar we didn’t have before,” Sullivan said.

Richard Ramon, part of the staff of the local El Ranchito resturant, serves jalapeno poppers to guests at the 3rd Annual Taste of Seguin event.

A celebrity panel of judges, made up of local media, politicians, as well as officers from the local Zonta club of Seguin, helped judge the event.

“We’ve been working together with Kelly Follis and Kelly Sullivan to promote the ideals of Buckner International as we’ve adopted the Shoes for Orphans Souls as our international project,” said Sharon Illhardt, past president of the Zonta Club.

According to Mike Heckmann, the owner of All Occasions Catering and first-place People’s Choice and Celebrity Panel winner for their shrimp and crab salad, said they were just one of the many restaurants who have continued to support this event.

“This event represents Seguin through the foods we have to offer,” he said. “Between our Mexican foods, Chinese foods, Italian foods, caterers to local establishments, we just showcase the many talents and capabilities that we offer as a town.”

So as the Taste of Seguin continues to grow, “the Kelly’s” will continue to move it along to support more and more orphans and at-risk children, in Seguin and around the world.

The staff from Catering By Design makes last-minute touches to their popular dessert, the triple chocolate trifle, which tied for first place in the celebrity judging.

“They’re the reason why this community is so driven; they just have a heart for this,” said Julia Stark, coordinator for Shoes for Orphan Souls. “They’re very organized and ready to go at any task as these two ladies are the icons of the taste of Seguin.”

Shoes for Orphan Souls, a ministry of Buckner International, has distributed more than 1.8 million pairs of new shoes to at-risk children in the United States and to orphans in more than 65 countries around the world.To learn more about Shoes for Orphans Souls, visit www.shoesfororphansouls.org.

To donate or get involved with next year’s “Taste of Seguin,” contact Kelly Follis at (830) 305-1534.