(Brockville) – Two Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) employees – a husband and wife team – have taken on the task of collecting gently used running shoes from Brockville and area residents to send to Africa for those in need.
Mike Crawford, a teacher at Lyn Public School, and his wife Sarah, a Planner at the Brockville board office, are two avid runners with the Brockville Road Runners Club who recognized a demand for a local used shoe drop-off. The Crawfords said that as long distance runners, they must purchase new running shoes on a regular basis, even though their old shoes are still wearable for non-training purposes.
The two decided to partner with Sole Responsibility, a non-profit organization in Ottawa that consults with the United Nations and donates shoes to African communities that need them most. Since December 2008, the couple has collected approximately 80 pairs of shoes from community runs and direct donations.
“We want to help people and make lives better in Africa, as well as be more responsible with our used items,” said Mike.
“We usually bring an empty bin to the runs we participate in so that people know to bring their used shoes and give them to us,” said Sarah. “We’re going to the races anyway, so we figured we might as well bring a bin.”
Mike, who also coaches Lyn Public School’s cross-country team, has not introduced the shoe drive at the school but is hoping it will gain more community exposure.
“The response to the shoe drive is steadily growing,” he said. “The comments are positive and people are curious. At each running event we go to there is always someone giving us some shoes.
“We want people to know they can do something to help,” he said. “It’s about caring and showing empathy to people we’ll never get a chance to meet.”
To donate to the shoe drive, the Crawfords are asking for used shoes that are still in good, wearable condition with no rips or stains, as well as a $2 donation to cover shipping costs.
However, if you do have some walking or running shoes not fit to wear, feel free to drop them off as well. The Crawfords have recently discovered Nike’s Reuse-A-Shoe program where Nike can grind up the rubber from old shoes and create materials that can be used for new outdoor tracks, playgrounds and Nike merchandise.
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For more information please call:
Sarah Crawford
Planner
Upper Canada District School Board
613-342-0371 ext. 1327
Mike Crawford
Teacher
Lyn Public School
613-345-1242
Posted September 28, 2009