A Message from the British Columbia Premier

As Premier of the Province of British Columbia, I am very pleased to congratulate Soles 4 Souls on the success of its shoe drive over the past 3 years.

Jim Belshaw and his team have identified an excellent opportunity to support children and adults around the world.  I understand that the Soles 4 Souls program supports humanitarian relief efforts and microenterprise projects, with the ultimate goal of enriching the lives of those without a comfortable pair of shoes.

Community initiatives like the Million Shoe Mission make a world of difference for these individuals and I want to thank all of the volunteers, community sponsors, and donor for your generous support.

Once again, congratulations on your success to date and I wish you all the best in your efforts to collect 100,000 pairs of shoes in British Columbia.

Sincerely,

Christy Clark

Premier

Kelowna Mayor Walter Gray and Roy’s Shoes Jim (Roy) Belshaw

&

Soles4Soles CFO/CEO Kevin Goughary & CAO Todd McKee  

Press Conference 

Monday April 2^nd 2012 – 1:00 to 2:00 pm 

Roys Shoes  – 1627 Ellis Street, Kelowna BC V1Y 2A8 

Soles4Souls Canada

Changing the world, One Pair at a time

April 1^st 2012 through April 30^th 2012

 Kelowna , BC –From April 1^st through April 30^th with participating locations across Kelowna gently worn shoes will be collected as part of our goal to collect 100,000 pairs of shoes in the month of April as part of Sole4Souls Canada’s Million Shoe Mission.

In 2010 Jim Belshaw started Soles4Souls Canada and with the support of the citizens of Kelowna proceeded to collect 40,000 pairs of shoes for Soles4Souls. In 2011 60,000 pairs of shoes were collected.

This year we are proud to have for our launch Soles4Soles.org. CFO/CEO Kevin Goughary & CAO Todd McKee with us to launch this year’s campaign.

Our goal this year is to collect 100,000 pairs of gently worn shoes in the month of April as part of Sole4Souls Canada’s Million Shoe Mission.

We are proud to also announce that this year as part of our Soles4Souls Million Shoes Mission we will be collecting shoes in Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec. The Long-term goal is to make April Soles4Soles Month in Canada.

Local Kelowna Social agencies will be supported: Last year 7,000 pairs of the 60,000 pairs of shoes collected remained in the Okanagan and were distributed out to the community through agencies like Gospel Mission, Now Canada, Kelowna Women’s Shelter and the Friendship Center. The remaining shoes were shipped to a Soles4Souls sorting center in Nevada where they were resorted and shipped to the people most in need, primarily Haiti last year.

The remaining shoes will be shipped to the Soles4Souls distribution Centre in Nevada where they will be sorted and shipped to where needed around the world.

In the last 2 year Souls4Souls Canada, collecting shoes in the Interior BC has collected 115,000 pairs of shoes. This Year we will be collecting shoes in Kelowna, Edmonton, Montreal and Kelowna.

Since its inception in 2004 Soles4Souls has distributed over 17 million pairs of shoes, and has responded to more than 40 natural disasters worldwide with crisis relief aid, including Hurricane Katrina, the Haiti earthquake in 2010, the Japan earthquake, and the Alabama and Missouri tornadoes in 2011.

With 1 in 4 people around the world living in abject poverty, the shoe charity also assists individuals living in developing nations and in the U.S. and Canada who cannot afford shoes.

In the last few years the tragedy in Haiti and Japan reminds us of the 300 million children around the world who live a life of tragedy and disaster every day. By giving them the gift of shoes, you tell them that it’s possible to dream beyond their current situation and remind them that there are people who love and care about them.

If you’re interested in supporting Soles4Souls’ relief efforts, let me encourage you to visit www.soles4soulscanada.com to find the nearest shoe drop-off location.  Monetary donations can be made also be made.

Situations like Haiti and Japan remind us just how much we have. Consider sharing your extra shoes and a few extra dollars to help change the lives of people around the world with the gift of shoes.

3 ways to help

1)     Drop off shoe locations at anyone of the drop off locations see http://soles4soulskelowna.blogspot.ca/  for all locations in Kelowna.

2)     A $1.00 donation buys 1 pair of NEW SANDALS. Go to www.soles4soulscanada.com/donate

3)     Organize a shoe drive at school, church, and your place of business or your neighborhood!!! 

WE NEED YOU TO CLEAN OUT YOUR CLOSETS!!! 

Estimates are that every person has 3 or 4 pairs at least in their closet that are not worn any more but still in good shape. We ask that you clean out your closets but convince your friends, neighbors and relatives to do the same. We ask that the shoes have no holes in the soles and are in decent shape. All footwear including sandals and boots are accepted and needed.

PLEASE TIE SHOES TOGETHER OR USE ELASTIC BANDS TO HOLD SHOES IN PAIRS

It is also the GREEN thing to do. There is tons of discarded footwear in the landfills that contain toxic glue that holds our shoes together, when these break-down it can leak into our water supply and atmosphere.

Kelowna citizens and companies interested in donating can visit the Soles4Souls at www.soles4soulscanada.com or call Jim Belshaw @ 250-763-5696 

SOLES4SOULS CANADA CONTACT: 

Jim Belshaw 

250-763-5696

http://www.sole4soulscanada.com 

-30-

Mayor Walter Gray for Soles4Souls Kelowna

It’s time for a little spring cleaning!!

Kelowna has always been a caring city and as Mayor I am proclaiming April as SOLES 4 SOULS Month in Kelowna

Soles4Souls Canada offers an important service ensuring that children and adults in our community and the world are assisted by the simple donations of gently worn shoes.

We need you our fellow citizens to clean out your closets and help ensure that the children and adults of the world have the appropriate footwear.
for school and work.

With your simple donation we can improve their lives by the collection and distribution of gently worn shoes.

Our goal this year is to collect 100 Hundred thousand pairs of shoes.

You can drop off your donations at many locations throughout the city.

Visit www.Soles4SoulsCanada for more details.

Soles4Souls

I am pleased to provide this letter of support for Canada Soles4Souls and the Million Shoe Mission. I understand the plight of those who cannot afford a nice pair of shoes, and I appreciate the value of a program that offers quality footwear to these vulnerable individuals. I appreciate the importance of putting your best foot forward.

Having a nice selection of shoes is indeed a luxury that many of us take for granted. I would encourage everybody to take a quick peek in their closets, and see if there is a pair or two of shoes that have been forgotten. There are people across Canada who would benefit from your generosity, as well as people around the world.

I look forward to having the opportunity to donate a pair of my shoes to this incredible initiative.

Sincerely,

Laureen Harper

Thanks

Jim (aka Roy)

Roys Shoes Kelowna in conjunction with Keens is raising money for the Kelowna Mission Greenway. Up to $4000.00 can be raised in total.
For every pair of Keens Purchased from August 1st 2011 till October 31 2011 Roy’s Shoes will donate $5.00 dollars to be matched by Keens for a total of $10.00.
This is a great cause so come on in and help raise money for the Kelowna Mission Greenway

Keen Boots Give Back – August 1^st – 5 +5 =$10.00  Donations to Kelowna Mission Greenway

Soles4Souls 2011 – AM1150 from Jerry Mason on Vimeo

Jim Belshaw winds up another successful Soles4Souls campaign in Kelowna with the help of Phil Johnson at 1150 Talk Radio.

Jim Belshaw
Roy’s Shoes, Boots and Repair
http://www.roysshoes.com
1627 Ellis Street
Kelowna, BC V1Y 2A8 250-763-5696

By Barry Gerding – Kelowna Capital News

Published: May 18, 2011 3:00 AM

Residents across the province are showing a lot of soul in supporting a shoe collection initiative started in Kelowna.

The second annual Sunrise Rotary Club’s Soles4Souls shoe drive is nearly complete, with some 60,000 pairs of shows donated this year.

The remainder are sent to the head distribution centre for the Soles4Souls program in Nevada, where the unwanted shoes are then sent to countries all over the world.

“It’s something I guess that everyone can identify with, we all have shoes in our closets that we don’t wear but could still be useful to people not as fortunate as ourselves,” Belshaw said.

“Otherwise, they just end up in the landfill, so there is a great recycling benefit as well.”

Chris Talbot , a volunteer with Freedom’s Door, non-profit society that uses the Twelve Step program and Christian principles to rehabilitate men struggling with alcoholism and drug addiction, was among the agency representatives collecting shoes for its clients on Tuesday.

“This is a huge benefit as we have 40 guys in the treatment program and many of them don’t have very much,” Talbot said.

He said finding runners for each of their program participants means they can benefit from the exercise routine the program offers through Parkinson Recreation Centre.

The same applies to steel-toed boots that can allow Freedom’s Door participants who are ready to go back into the workforce.

Belshaw said Rotary Clubs across the province have gravitated to the program, many indicating that next year their Rotary clubs will actively support the campaign.

Jim Belshaw

Roy’s Shoes, Boots and Repair

http://www.roysshoes.com/

1627 Ellis Street

Kelowna, BC V1Y 2A8

250-763-5696