For the past number of years, the Eblen Charities’ If the Shoe Fits partnership with the Asheville Tourists Baseball Club and Nike has provided thousands of shoes to area children whose families have difficulty providing. As the need continues to grow, we are continually reaching out to new and existing partners to continue and expand our program and to reach more children.
One of our long-time partners in this endeavor has been Payless ShoeSource which has worked with us since the beginning making sure that the children we serve have proper fitting new shoes. This week Eblen Charities was again chosen as one of the 750 nonprofit partners in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico,the Dominican Republic, Trinidad & Tobago, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Honduras, Nicaragua and Colombia to partner with them in the Payless Shoes 4 Kids Program.
One of the leading family footwear retailers, Payless ShoeSource has created Payless Shoes 4 Kids program, a grass-roots effort aimed at giving more than $1.2 million in free shoes to children of families in need this holiday season. The assistance comes in the form of $15 shoe gift coupons to use for or towards a new pair of children’s shoes. If the Shoe Fits program received 100 of these coupons last Wednesday, just in time to provide shoes that many families have requested for their children through our Saint Nicholas Project. More than $1.2 million will be given globally through Payless’ innovative effort.
Payless initiated the Payless Shoes 4 Kids program last year in response to the economic crisis, its impact on the underprivileged, the significant need across the United States for children’s shoes, and to support smaller, localized nonprofits with a tool to assist them in helping those in need during the holidays. The retailer expanded the program internationally across the Western Hemisphere for 2009 because the need for children’s shoes continues, the need is international and Payless is in a strong position to help.
A striking number of children don’t have shoes that fit. Studies show that properly fitting shoes can enhance self confidence in children and aid in their proper development and growth. As well, with rising unemployment and food costs, it is difficult for parents to cover basic needs, thus making the holidays an even more stressful time for struggling families.
“We certainly have no better partner in our If the Shoe Fits Program than Payless. Since the beginning of our partnership with the Asheville Tourists, Payless has always been at the forefront of service to children in our community who are less fortunate,” states Bill Murdock, executive director of Eblen Charities. “Now to have the opportunity to work with them through their increased effort to supply more shoes to more children this holiday season is a great privilege to all of us here.”
If you would like more information on the Eblen / Asheville Tourists If the Shoe Fits program please contact Bill Murdock at 828-255-3066 or via email at wmurdock@eblencharities.org or Susan Riddle at 828-255-3066 or sriddle@eblencharities.org. For more information on Payless ShoeSource or the Payless Shoes 4 Kids program, please visit their website at www.paylessgives.com.
