Buckner Orphan Care International: Celebrity Shoes for Orphans Charity Auction a Great Feat for Feet.

Entertainment Editors

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 27, 2003

Shoes Donated by A-List Celebrities and Sports Stars Raise Over

$31,000 to Provide New Shoes to Orphans in More than 30 Countries

Anyone who has ever wondered how many pairs of children's shoes it takes to equal one of Shaquille O'Neal's size 22 basketball shoes can look no further than the Celebrity Shoes for Orphans charity auction. Shaq's black Nike court shoe was among the more than 50 pairs of autographed shoes featured in the auction, which raised over $31,000 for Buckner Orphan Care International's Shoes for Orphan Souls program. Shaq's shoe was the most sought-after item in the September 22-October 2 auction, with a final bid of $3,225 generated to help provide shoes to children around the world.

The second-highest selling item was Christina Aguilera's boots that were custom-made for her most recent concert tour, with a bid of $3,050. Other top items included Robin Williams' zany camouflage Reebok tennis shoes, won with a bid of $2,081.04, Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s athletic shoes at $2,000, Tom Hanks' brown leather Gucci's at $1,675, Natalie Portman's petite ballet slippers at $1,184, and Helen Hunt's suede Manolo Blahnik heels worn in the film "What Women Want" at $1,032.

Other footwear that brought in top bids were shoes donated by Muhammad Ali, Sarah Jessica Parker, Clint Eastwood, Courteney Cox, Matt Damon, Brooke Shields, Jeff Gordon, Julianne Moore, Lara Flynn Boyle, Calista Flockhart, Charlize Theron and Heidi Klum. Whether the shoes were worn in a film, such as Clint Eastwood's tennis shoes from "Space Cowboys," or worn during childhood like Natalie Portman's pink ballet slippers, the shoes gave bidders both a taste of the star's personality and a piece of pop culture.

From June 19 to October 2, more than 30 pairs of the shoes toured the country as part of the Celebrity Shoes for Orphans traveling exhibit. Presenting sponsor Macerich Company, one of the largest owners/operators of regional malls in the United States, supported Celebrity Shoes for Orphans by hosting the exhibit at 15 of its properties and promoting the charity auction at more than 50 malls. The company has sponsored Shoes for Orphan Souls since 1999, and participated in Celebrity Shoes for Orphans as an extension of its commitment to orphan children worldwide. eBay, The World's Online Marketplace(R), hosted the online component of the Celebrity Shoes for Orphans charity auction.

Hallmark Channel supported the cause through public service announcements on the cable network, as well as through the adoption resource center found at www.hallmarkchannel.com, in order to increase awareness of adoption issues to its more than 55 million subscribers. The channel's original series "Adoption" began its second season in September with Emmy(R) and Golden Globe(R) Award-winning actress Jane Seymour serving as host.

Buckner Orphan Care International is part of one of the largest social services organizations of its kind in the nation with Shoes for Orphan Souls being one of the agency's many humanitarian outreach projects. Since 1999, Buckner Orphan Care International has collected and distributed over 700,000 pairs of shoes to children in the United States and around the world. More information is available at www.celebrityshoesfororphans.org.