Soles4Souls' Nets 150 Pairs of Shoes

December 17, 2012

Members of the Oklahoma Baptist University contributed about 150 pairs of shoes in early December to Soles4Souls, a charitable organization which accepts shoes and monetary donations to provide footwear to people in need both in the community and around the globe.

"Soles4Souls collects new shoes to give relief to the victims of abject suffering and collects used shoes to support micro-business efforts to eradicate poverty," according to the organization's website.

Joseph Krueger, an OBU freshman from Sapulpa, Okla., started the shoe drive as a project for his Introduction to Speech Communication class taught by Dr. Kaylene Barbe. The shoe drive not only fulfills the requirements of a course project, but also emphasizes OBU's mission to equip students to positively impact the world around them.

"I appreciate the support I received from OBU's faculty," Krueger said. "And I look forward to the next time we can host this at OBU."

Brandon Skaggs, dean of students, said he anticipates hosting another Soles4Souls shoe drive at OBU in the spring, with an emphasis on campus-wide involvement. Krueger said the time and advice offered by Skaggs helped make the first shoe drive a success.

For more information on the Soles4Souls campaign, click here or call (866) 521-SHOE.