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MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (Sept. 3, 2010) — Students at Milligan College are collecting shoes and monetary donations to assist Remember the Children, a non-profit, faith-based organization attempting to gather 10,000 pairs of shoes in 10 months for Romanian children.
Founded by Milligan alumnus Andy Baker, Remember the Children is an organization that seeks to meet the core needs of Romanian children, their families and communities. Baker and former Milligan professor Jim Street are leading the effort. Baker will speak about 10,000 Shoes at Milligan on Thursday, Sept. 16, at 11 a.m. in Seeger Memorial Chapel. The event is free and open to the public.
The idea for the 10,000 shoes campaign developed from a photograph of a Romanian boy standing in the snow at Christmastime wearing only flip flops to protect his feet. What began as a small plan to collect 100 shoes quickly turned into the “10,000 Pairs” movement.
Milligan junior Rachel Severns became interested in the campaign after reading an article about it, titled “A Gathering of Soles,” in the summer issue of the Milligan alumni magazine. She immediately emailed Baker and offered to help.
Severns began spreading the word about 10,000 shoes to friends, faculty and family via email, Facebook, fliers and word of mouth. Her efforts to publicize the campaign have resulted in an abundance of positive feedback. Students across campus have rallied together to help reach the goal by the September deadline.
“Our students are excited about this campaign and combining the heart of the students with that of our alumni just makes sense,” Severns said.
In an effort to expand the campaign’s reach to Milligan’s surrounding communities, Severns will collect shoes from the public every Tuesday and Thursday through Sept. 16, from noon to 12:30 p.m. outside Milligan’s McCormick Dining Center. They will also accept monetary donations to help buy more shoes and pay for shipping costs. Boxes to deposit shoe donations are also available in all Milligan dorm lobbies. Remember the Children requests shoes that are suitable to be worn in the winter.
For more information on Milligan College spiritual formation speakers, contact Campus Minister Brad Wallace at 423.461.8748 . For more information about Remember the Children, visit www.remember-the-children.org.