August 31, 2013

WE NEED YOUR SHOES! Can you help? 

White Dog sat with me during the monthly Paws To People Board of Directors meeting. She sucked in her breath and whispered, "That is a lot of shoes. Is it even possible?" I could sense the same feeling coming from a few members as well. I addressed my answer to both WD and my dedicated partners in fighting the war to end the c monster.

"7500 pairs IS a lot of shoes. Is it possible? We are a determined and awesome force. What we set our minds to do, we can achieve. 7500 pairs of shoes is nothing compared to funding the research that is going to bring about the end of catastrophic diseases for all creatures. We CAN do this if we reach out into our families and communities and ask for help. We CAN do this if we build a bridge. I KNOW we are have LOTS of support for what we are doing and all we need to do is ask."

The shoes are used by a micro-economic program that brings old, used shoes in any condition to poverty-stricken countries like Haiti. There the shoes are used to teach people how to fix up, repair and rebuild them and then to provide low-cost footwear. Paws To People gets a small "finders fee" for the quantity of shoes.

The money from our shoe collection would go a very long way to offset the P2P foundation's operating budget for things like office supplies and stamps (we are all volunteers). It would, thus, allow us to stretch the amount of donor dollars that are dedicated to research funding...our charter goal is 80% but never less than 55 cents on the dollar.

The White Dog Army and I are asking for your help. While we cannot officially participate with the funding organization until our IRS paperwork comes through, we CAN begin to collect shoes now to have at the ready. Please save your old shoes, in any condition, any size, and style...men's, women's, children's. If you cannot store them, email us and we will make arrangements.

Every pair will help us move closer toward the 7500 needed and will go toward helping two great causes...the micro-business program and Paws To People, Bridges To Cures. Help us with your castoffs and please spread the word...we are counting on all of our friends in this wonderful caring Blog family to make a difference.