Local Radio Station Collects New Shoes for Orphans.

Business Editors

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 31, 2001

You may not be able to walk a mile in the shoes of an orphan child, but you can help orphan children walk into a brighter future.

WMBW, a Moody Broadcasting Network station, is teaming up with area churches and Buckner Orphan Care International to ask Chattanooga residents to collect shoes for orphan children around the world during the month of August as part of the annual Shoes for Orphan Souls shoe drive.

The shoe drive is seeking to surpass last year's total by collecting more than 100,000 donated shoes, socks and shoestrings, with a nationwide campaign. Shoes from the shoe drive will go to orphans in Russia, Romania, China, Africa, Mexico, United States, Kenya, Ethiopia, Latvia, Croatia, Ukraine, Belarus, Republic of Georgia, India and Peru.

For the first time, Moody Broadcasting Network will be using radio stations to promote this effort. "Shoes for Orphan Souls program ties in nicely to the station's goal of supporting the community while reaching out to ministries all over the world," said Leighton LeBoeuf, WMBW station manager. "We hope that with the promotions on our station and the support of area churches, we can help Buckner reach their goal."

"We have seen the smiles that a new pair of shoes brings to these children, and we want to extend that same joy to others like them," said Tiffany Taylor, director of Shoes for Orphan Souls. "Because of WMBW's commitment to this program, we can continue to increase the number of kids who will benefit."

Shoes can be dropped off the entire month of August at the WMBW studios, Holly Creek Baptist Church, Woodland Park Baptist, 1st Baptist Fort Oglethorpe and Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church for the month of August.

Donated items should be for children, ages birth-18, and, due to customs regulations, shoes and socks should be brand new. Especially needed are warm shoes and winter boots.

"Millions of children reside in orphanages throughout our world," said Taylor, "and those orphanages are not receiving enough money to care for the children's most basic needs."

Among those basic needs, Taylor said, is something most of us take for granted. "I've been in orphanages where I've seen the shoes falling off the feet of the children."

Taylor emphasized no donation is too small. "Most of the donations to the shoe drive have come from families giving one or two pairs of shoes. Every one pair of shoes makes a big difference to that one child who receives them."

Locally, volunteers are being sought to do a shoe drive at their church, school or business. Volunteers are also needed to travel to China (Oct. 6-18), Russia (Nov. 1-11) and Romania (Nov. 7-18) to meet some of the children who benefit from the shoe drive.

For more information about the drive and volunteer opportunities, call toll-free 1-877-7ORPHAN or visit www.shoesfororphansouls.org.