Rotary District 6840 Governor Betty Gill; Covington Rotary Club President Elizabeth Van Sant, Gardiner and Ronnie Kole.
Ronnie Kole spoke to the Covington Rotary Club about the Jazz on the Bayou fundraiser which benefits Easter Seals of Louisiana and STARC. For more information, please visit http://www.jazzonthebayou.com.
For Immediate Release
February 1, 2012
Covington, LA – A simple pair of children’s shoes may not look powerful, but they can make a big difference in the lives of orphans around the world.
The Covington Rotary Club, as part of Rotary District 6840, is teaming up with Buckner International to ask local residents to collect shoes for children in need. The annual nationwide “Shoes for Orphan Souls” shoe drive is seeking to collect more than 250,000 pairs of new shoes, socks and shoestrings, with a nationwide campaign. Since 1999, Buckner has sent more than 2.2 million pairs of new shoes to vulnerable children in 74 countries around the globe, including the United States.
“We have seen the smiles that a new pair of shoes brings to children in the orphanages we visit, and we want to extend that same joy to others like them,” said Rachel Garton, director of Shoes for Orphan Souls. “Because ofRotary’s commitment to this program, we can continue to increase the number of kids who will benefit.”
“Millions of children reside in orphanages throughout our world,” Garton said, “and those orphanages are not receiving enough money to care for the children’s most basic needs, like shoes and socks.”
An unexpected benefit of donating new shoes is the sense of satisfaction on the part of the person who gives. “At Buckner, we say new shoes are good for the soul – yours and theirs,” Garton said. “A person who gives can’t help but feel as though they also have received a great gift.”
Only BRAND NEW shoes, socks, and shoelaces can be donated due to customs regulations. Donated items should be in children and teen shoe sizes.
Garton emphasized no donation is too small. “Most of the donations to the shoe drive have come from families giving one or two pairs of shoes. Every one pair of shoes makes a big difference to the child that receives them.”
You can drop-off new shoe donations at:
Campbell’s Coffee & Tea
516 S. Tyler St., Covington, LA 70433
By March 31, 2012
For more information about Shoes for Orphan Souls or the Covington Rotary Club, please visit www.shoesfororphansouls.org & http://www.covrotary.org.
Covington Rotarians took applications for Feeding the Needy from Covington Food Bank clients. The line for food Thursday morning spanned about 4 blocks.
Brian Hall presenting about the Rotary Foundation at this week’s meeting.
Covington Rotarians with chef Bob Haeuser, on loan from the Metairie Rotary Club, won 2nd place in the Northlake-Mandeville Rotary Club’s 8th Annual Chili Cook-Off. The weather was beautiful and we had a great time prepping and serving Bob’s award-winning chili.
Our booth decorations didn’t yield us a prize, but were a big hit with the many Rotarians from the Lake District and beyond who participated in or attended the event. We were able to let the crowd know what Covington Rotary and Rotary International are all about.
