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Soles4Souls: AFRS helps program provide Haitian children with shoes

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Brigitte Brantley
  • 23rd Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  When an earthquake hit Haiti in early January, a countless number of children and adults were left without homes, families and other everyday necessities.

One Valdosta, Ga., resident has taken initiative to help provide a small but important comfort to survivors in the form of shoes.

"I initially wanted to help because of the devastation I saw on TV," said Brenda Pone, 336th Recruiting Squadron G-flight secretary and main organizer for Valdosta's Haiti shoe collection. "I saw individuals who were having limbs amputated because of infections they contracted.

"After that, it became a bit more personal when one of the second-grade boys I tutor has a grandmother in Haiti and expressed wanting to help her in some way," she added. "So I told him, 'If you collect the first pair of shoes, I will collect the rest,' and we've come pretty far since then."

The shoe collection is done under the organizational name of Soles4Souls, a nonprofit group that helps to provide shoes to individuals in areas that have endured a natural disaster such as flooding or an earthquake.

"Donating to this collection effort is an extremely worthy cause," said Master Sgt. David Hopson, 336th RCS G-flight chief, who has twins and plans to soon sort through shoes they have outgrown. "To us, it may be just a small pair of shoes but to them it is a huge deal."

So far, more than 2,000 pairs of shoes have been collected and the drive's deadline has been extended to late May to accommodate individuals conducting spring cleaning.

"I encourage everyone to donate any extra new or gently-used shoes or work boots they may not need anymore," Ms. Pone said. "One of the first things I think about doing each morning is putting on my shoes, so it's hard to even imagine not having any."

(Editor's note: The mention of the nonprofit organization Soles4Souls does not constitute endorsement or affiliation by Moody Air Force Base, the Air Force Recruiting Service or the U.S. Air Force.)