Titans Fans are asked to "STEP UP" and Clean Out their Closets and Recycle their Gently Worn Shoes
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The Titans are asking fans to bring 'gently worn' shoes to the game or make cash donations and drop them in the seven locations outside each gate of LP Field beginning at 10 a.m. through kickoff.
It is estimated that Americans have 1.5 billion pairs of unworn shoes lying in their closets. The charity can use each and every one of these pairs to make a tangible difference in someone's life.
"We can use the shoes taking up space in your closet to change the world one pair at a time," Wayne Elsey, the Founder and CEO of Soles4Souls™ Inc., said. "We need our partners in North America and specifically our home town of Nashville to 'STEP UP' and get behind our call for action. It's one of the most simple yet profound gifts you can make, because it will greatly improve someone's life in the most difficult of times," he said.
This drive is part of the Titans annual stadium drive collections.
About Soles4Souls
In the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami that hit Southeast Asia, Wayne Elsey, the Founder and CEO of Soles4Souls™ Inc., felt compelled to do something. Like many of us, he did not know what to do. He was at home one night, watching TV and he saw a picture of a single shoe washing up on the beach. That triggered a few calls to some other executives in the footwear industry and the subsequent donation of a quarter of a million shoes to victims in the devastated countries.
A year later when Katrina hit, Wayne called the same group of friends, and they sent three-quarters of a million shoes down to the gulf coast communities affected by the hurricane. In all honesty, he admits that he did not expect such an immediate and successful turnout. This left him wondering, why not start a non-profit and do this all the time? One year later, Soles4Souls was formally created. It has been that simple: to change the world, "one pair at a time."
Nashville-based Soles4Souls™ facilitates the donations of both new and used shoes, which are used to aid the hurting worldwide. Since its inception, Soles4Souls has distributed more than 3.4 million pairs (or one pair every 23 seconds) to people in more than 60 countries, including Honduras, Romania, Thailand, and the Sudan. The charity has been featured on CNN Headline News, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, ABC News, FOX, CBS, and hundreds of regional outlets around North America. Soles4Souls is a 501(c)(3) recognized by the IRS; donating parties are eligible for tax advantages. For additional information, please visit www.giveshoes.org.
