Soles4Souls Collection At Rutgers
Dec 04 | Women's Track & Field
Student-Athletes Are Collecting Shoes For Children In Need
Piscataway, N.J. – Last May, Imani Beauliere and eight other student-athletes attended Rutgers Leadership Academy's (RLA) International Service Trip to Honduras. This was Beauliere's first service trip abroad, so she did not know exactly what her project entailed. Once she arrived to the villages of Honduras, one of the first things she noticed is that many of the children she encountered did not own shoes.
"They really didn't have shoes - and if they had a pair of shoes, they were a few years old. The same shoes that they wear for school, they wear… to play," said Beauliere.
She learned that children had to walk several miles to get to school in these tattered shoes. Beauliere, a senior on the Rutgers women's track and field team, felt she could do something beyond the five days of service to change that. Upon returning from the service trip, Beauliere recognized that she and other student-athletes could help this community.
"I realized we have a lot. Going [on this trip] with student-athletes, it hit me – we have so much stuff," said Beauliere. "Being here for three years, the amount of shoes I have received from my coach from being in season and being out of season, just to make sure that our feet and our bodies are well maintained throughout the year for our sport- it's a lot. If every individual has this abundance of shoes, then why not give back?"
Beauliere knew that student-athletes have old gear they can donate to this cause, especially with the recent brand switch to Adidas.
"I just remember saying we're switching to Adidas, so what if we gave our old gear away and sent it to the communities of Honduras?"
Other students on the trip thought this was a great idea, so Beauliere made arrangements with RLA and the Soles4Souls coordinator. Soles4Souls is an organization that is partnered with Amazon to provide shoes and other articles of clothing for children in need. They have distributed over 30 million pairs of shoes in 127 countries and all 50 US states since the nonprofit began in 2006.
She discovered that there is a regional office in Franklin where she can easily drop off the donated items she collects.
The expediency of this opportunity gave Beauliere the impulse for it to happen at Rutgers. She set up drop-off stations around campus for the convenience of students to donate.
"What's easier access than having a box that you can drop donated items in within your practice facility or locker room?" said Beauliere. "It's so easily accessible for administration too- it's right downstairs."
Athletes, coaches and administration are welcome to donate. Soles4Souls accepts gently worn or new clothes and shoes of all styles and sizes. The goal is to collect 300 items. An announcement on the collected amount will be made at the RLA Holiday Dodgeball Tournament on Thursday, December 14th.
Anyone interested in donating to Souls4Soles can find on-campus drop off locations conveniently located at the College Avenue Gym and the concourse level of the RAC by the Druskin Strength and Conditioning Center. The clothing drive concludes on December 8th.
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersWomensTF) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/Rutgers_WomenTF) for all of the latest news and updates. Fans also receive timely information, including special offers and www.ScarletKnights.com
-RU-
"They really didn't have shoes - and if they had a pair of shoes, they were a few years old. The same shoes that they wear for school, they wear… to play," said Beauliere.
She learned that children had to walk several miles to get to school in these tattered shoes. Beauliere, a senior on the Rutgers women's track and field team, felt she could do something beyond the five days of service to change that. Upon returning from the service trip, Beauliere recognized that she and other student-athletes could help this community.
"I realized we have a lot. Going [on this trip] with student-athletes, it hit me – we have so much stuff," said Beauliere. "Being here for three years, the amount of shoes I have received from my coach from being in season and being out of season, just to make sure that our feet and our bodies are well maintained throughout the year for our sport- it's a lot. If every individual has this abundance of shoes, then why not give back?"
Beauliere knew that student-athletes have old gear they can donate to this cause, especially with the recent brand switch to Adidas.
"I just remember saying we're switching to Adidas, so what if we gave our old gear away and sent it to the communities of Honduras?"
Other students on the trip thought this was a great idea, so Beauliere made arrangements with RLA and the Soles4Souls coordinator. Soles4Souls is an organization that is partnered with Amazon to provide shoes and other articles of clothing for children in need. They have distributed over 30 million pairs of shoes in 127 countries and all 50 US states since the nonprofit began in 2006.
She discovered that there is a regional office in Franklin where she can easily drop off the donated items she collects.
The expediency of this opportunity gave Beauliere the impulse for it to happen at Rutgers. She set up drop-off stations around campus for the convenience of students to donate.
"What's easier access than having a box that you can drop donated items in within your practice facility or locker room?" said Beauliere. "It's so easily accessible for administration too- it's right downstairs."
Athletes, coaches and administration are welcome to donate. Soles4Souls accepts gently worn or new clothes and shoes of all styles and sizes. The goal is to collect 300 items. An announcement on the collected amount will be made at the RLA Holiday Dodgeball Tournament on Thursday, December 14th.
Anyone interested in donating to Souls4Soles can find on-campus drop off locations conveniently located at the College Avenue Gym and the concourse level of the RAC by the Druskin Strength and Conditioning Center. The clothing drive concludes on December 8th.
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersWomensTF) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/Rutgers_WomenTF) for all of the latest news and updates. Fans also receive timely information, including special offers and www.ScarletKnights.com
-RU-
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