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1s o l e s 4 s o u l s

IT’S EASY TO get caught up in the statistics. So-les4Souls employs more than 30 staffers who pro-vide free footwear to an endless list of qualifi ed recipients around the world. Now in our sixth year, we’ve donated more than 11.5 million pairs, yet an estimated 1.1 billion people worldwide still do not own a single pair of shoes. To that end, we remain committed to our mission statement: “Changing the world one pair at a time.”

But when we look beyond the numbers, we see Soles4Souls as something other than just a distribu-tor of shoes to people in need. We see an organiza-tion that enables people to band together—creating a wide range of communities—in an effort to provide hope to people in seemingly hopeless situations.

What do you see: hundreds of shoe distributions, or events that establish countless new relation-ships? We’ve held hundreds of major distribution events this year—912 worldwide, to be exact—from handing out 85,000 pairs to fl ood victims in our hometown of Nashville, TN, to giving new shoes to orphans in Haiti. We’ve overcome massive physical and political obstacles in order to deliver shoes to people suffering in the wake of natural disasters and those living in extreme poverty. And while doing so, we’ve seen many new relationships form between companies, organizations, civic groups, governments and ordinary citizens—simply because we worked together to deliver the gift of shoes.

What do you see: thousands of fans, or thou-sands of empowered ambassadors? Soles4Souls has inspired schools, shoe stores, businesses, neighborhoods, places of worship and families to join our cause. Many subsequently become our ad-vocates and then reach out to their own respective communities for help with our mission. In our eyes, shoes aren’t just a compilation of leather, rubber and laces; we view them as an instigator for reach-ing out to others.

What do you see: millions of shoes or millions of smiles? Occasionally, we receive feedback from those who say that donated shoes aren’t a top pri-ority in the grand scheme of things. Some suggest that we direct our resources to providing food, water, medical care, housing and education, which are all critical needs. In fact, Soles4Souls works with many trusted charitable organizations to help provide

a total relief package. But beyond that, we believe footwear holds a crucial place in the list of basic hu-man needs. Shoes can prevent infection, ultimate-ly saving lives, and a new pair can help restore a person’s dignity. We are extremely proud to be that bridge, providing a secure, reliable donation channel from donors to people in need. As a result, we bring smiles to millions of people—many who have never owned shoes before—and contributors who have the comfort of knowing that their donations are be-ing put to the best possible use.

What do you see: billions of people in need or endless opportunities to provide hope? Soles-4Souls cannot change the situation for billions of people alone. We need to start with just one person: you. When you join us, we are one step closer to en-suring that all of those people in need can eventu-ally take care of themselves. We don’t see ourselves as an organization that “gives away shoes” but rather a way you can provide hope to another person in need. So join us in changing the world—one pair at a time.

Wishing you happiness and health,

Wayne ElseyFounder and CEO, Soles4Souls

Wayne Elsey on the ground in Haiti, giving out shoes and hugs to people in need.

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2 s o l e s 4 s o u l s

AS AN EVENT planner and mar-keter for Soles4Souls, Mehgan Heaton had helped members of her organization bring supplies and shoes to some of the world’s hard-est-hit disaster zones—from Haiti to Pakistan to the Philippines. But she never imagined she would witness a natural disaster in her own home-town of Nashville, TN. But during the fi rst week of May, torrential rains caused massive fl ooding, submerg-ing the city and many of its iconic landmarks, including the Grand Ole Opry—and even threatened Heaton’s own home. “Neighbors were pouring out of the apartments and grabbing their most valuable items,” she re-members. “Many people didn’t receive word in time to evacuate, so their cars

and belongings were waist-high in water and utterly damaged.”

Crystal Elsey, a fundraiser for Soles4Souls and Heaton’s neighbor, recalls that their apartment com-plex resembled Venice: “no road, no asphalt—only water, curbs, grass and buildings.” All in all, the fl oods caused an estimated $2 billion in damages, making it the most costly natural disaster in state history.

Living up to Tennessee’s nick-name, “The Volunteer State,” Nash-ville neighbors pitched in to move valuables and help push cars out of the water, Elsey says. Her proudest moment, however, was distributing supplies to locals on behalf of Soles-4Souls. Despite the continued down-pour and rising fl oodwater that came

within 20 feet of the organization’s headquarters, the charity’s entire team pitched in to hand out seven truckloads of provisions—including 1 million bottles of water, 1,000 high chairs and more than 85,000 pairs of shoes—to people who lost entire homes and businesses.

“It was touching to see that even the smallest of gifts could give them comfort and hope that they could return a sense of normalcy to their lives as they started to recover from any damage they might have expe-rienced,” Elsey says. “It was a tragic thing to have occurred in our city, but I am glad Soles4Souls is based here and we could provide such immedi-ate aid to our neighbors, community members and friends.”

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3s o l e s 4 s o u l s

WHAT DO YOU do when a long line of celebrities is clam-oring to support your cause? When Soles4Souls staffers began brainstorming ways to leverage the organization’s impressive star power, they struck upon the perfect idea: a website where A-listers could compete for donations. So they built www.50000shoes.com, where every 60 days a dif-ferent celebrity solicits donations from fans with the goal of gathering enough funds to distrubute 50,000 pairs of shoes to people in need.

It all began with a hilariously racy video posted on the site by Zach Braff and Donald Faison, who starred in the popular TV comedy “Scrubs.” Braff and Faison encouraged visitors to donate just $5 each, or “the price of a latte.” Soon, other VIPs were stepping up to take on the “Celebrity Char-ity Challenge,” including singer Lance Bass, comedian Wan-da Sykes and football legend Warren Sapp. Spreading word via Twitter, Facebook and personal blogs, stars have used the site to raise more than $100,000 for Soles4Souls—the equivalent of 100,000 pairs of shoes.

So which celeb is winning the challenge? Soles4Souls CEO Wayne Elsey says reality star Kim Kardashian and singer Jessica Simpson both raked in impressive donations, although the site’s current sponsor Holly Madison—the star of the Vegas revue “Peepshow” and former Playboy house bunny—is quickly catching up, having solicited enough funds to provide nearly 25,000 pairs so far.

Elsey credits the contest’s diverse range of personalities—from comedians to professional athletes to reality stars—for its success in getting a wide slice of the public interested in contributing. “One of the things about our organization is that we don’t judge people,” Elsey says of the more scandal-ous celebs. “We’re very neutral, very Switzerland. It allows us to reach the world.”

“IF YOU’RE GOING through hell, keep going”: The famous Winston Churchill quote is a fi tting welcome to visitors of Wayne Elsey’s blog on Soles4Souls’ web-site. As the founder and CEO of Soles-4Souls, Elsey is no stranger to persevering in the face of enormous obstacles—from facing harrowing conditions in disas-ter zones around the globe to working through bureaucratic red tape in order to get shoes to the world’s poor.

So perhaps there’s no one better suited to write a book on taking action to make a measurable impact on the planet. After all, since Elsey came on board full-time in 2007, Soles4Souls has grown by 480 percent and is now giving away a pair of shoes every seven seconds.

“I wanted to reenergize and motivate folks in every chapter of their life to put the server’s towel over their arm,” Elsey says of his new book, “Almost Isn’t Good Enough: The Human Connection Changes Everything,” which is scheduled for re-lease in December. Using Soles4Souls as an example, the book aims to show that the main ingredient to success is action—and that many nonprofi ts have become bogged down by focusing on operating the organization rather than doing meaningful charity work.

“In the new world of organizational funding and building mission capacity, action requires that we break traditional boundaries when necessary to accom-plish the stated goal,” Elsey explains. “Sometimes that means we fail. Some-times that means we get it right. But the more we get it wrong and fail, the better chance we have at getting it right sooner and more consistently.”

But Elsey isn’t aiming only to motivate the nonprofi t arena. His book is intended to inspire everyone—from students to religious leaders—to ”do something to improve the world in a positive way.” As Elsey notes, “Whether it’s a small act of kindness to another person or creating an entire enterprise around solving world problems, change doesn’t take place until someone takes action.”

Jessica Simpson Zach Braff Holly Madison Donald Faison

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I made many friends during my brief but unforgettable stay in Haiti.

Hundreds of Haitians in need lined up and waited patiently to receive shoes.

few days in Haiti can rock you to the core, leaving you with in-delible memories. Many of these refl ections are troubling, yet others have cemented my faith in the healing power of kindness and the relentless survival instinct that keeps people going in the aftermath

of a devastating national disaster. It’s hard to know where to begin when recapping

my journey with Soles4Souls. Thinking back on the three-day shoe distribution that took place over Labor Day weekend, there are so many stories to tell. Our

group of volunteers witnessed the destruction fi rst-hand, walking among crumbled buildings and weav-ing through the squalor of tent cities. We drove from the teeming capital city to remote rural areas, where we fi rst washed the feet of several hundred Haitians—young and old—and then fi t them with new shoes. Along the way, we administered countless hugs.

Through it all, I repeatedly asked myself, “How will I ever begin to describe my Soles4Souls outreach ex-perience—the utter devastation, the desperation and the staggering poverty I witnessed? And what about the countless smiles, genuine warmth and tremendous pride these beautiful people showed?” Several images have stuck with me in the weeks since we returned,

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and I hope sharing them will help describe Haiti’s realities—both the good and the bad—to those who can only imagine what life on the island is like.

THE RUBBLE Our fi ve-member volunteer crew drove for hours on a road stretching from heavily populated Port-au-Prince to the isolated countryside, and the amount of rubble on the landscape is staggering con-sidering the earthquake lasted only 38 seconds. Waist-high mounds of busted cement slabs and long blocks of ankle-deep ruins are all that remain of countless homes and businesses. The debris is heavy and dirty, and there is no hint that it will be cleared any time soon. Nine months after the earthquake, I found this shocking. Excavating the rubble would be a meaningful step toward the nation’s recovery. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a dump truck or bulldozer in sight—just, on oc-

casion, people carrying away the stones with their bare hands.

THE TENTS Makeshift housing in the form of tents stretches as far as the eye can see. Several million people live in these “homes,” which often consist of a tarp draped over a few branches or a tin wall. One tent city was located directly across the street from our hotel. A woman in-vited us inside her cramped living quarters to view her six kids sleep-ing on one bed. Each of them was wearing a shirt or pants, but none had both.

Obviously, this housing arrange-ment offers little privacy. Bathing is done outside. Once, I witnessed a grown man carefully pouring a bucket of water over his body and it broke my heart. I realized I was un-intentionally invading his privacy and quickly looked away. Dignity is a precious possession, and I had to keep reassuring myself that my reason for being in Haiti was to try

to help restore at least some of that basic human need through the gift of shoes.

THE RESILIENCE Despite many months of devasta-tion and suffering, the human spirit still burns bright-ly in Haiti. We received many smiles, warm greetings (“bonjour”) and expressions of genuine appreciation (“merci”) throughout our visit. And whether it was fi lling a bucket with water, washing dishes, sweeping, tending to six kids lying on a single bed, selling bread or hanging out sheets to dry, we witnessed Haitians whose lives had been overturned going about their day with purpose and pride.

At one point, a 2-year-old girl wearing nothing but underpants took a liking to me, but while we were playing, her mom pulled her away. Not a minute later,

the little girl returned with a dress on. Her mom didn’t want her to play with her new friend without proper attire. It was small gestures like this that made me a believer—something as simple as a gift of new shoes can go a long way in getting Haitians back on their feet and can help bring a sense of normalcy to their shattered lives.

THE SHOES “Shoes are huge,” explained John Chew, our Soles4Souls liaison and the man in charge of the charity’s efforts in Haiti. Shoes are the No. 1 way to protect the local people from disease, he added. Streets fi lled with raw sewage, fi lthy puddles and rotting lit-ter drove home that pressing need. Yet during my time in Haiti, I spotted many children and adults walking around barefoot. In some instances, I saw boys wear-ing girls’ styles and men in fl owered sandals with their heels hanging off the back. Even worse, Chew informed me that in Haiti, a child must have shoes in order to attend school. It’s one of the reasons why so many children don’t go to school at all.

THE GIVING With gifts of shoes, Soles4Souls do-nors have helped improve the health, raised the level of dignity and provided hope to more than 1 million Haitians since the earthquake. And having been on the ground with the charity’s staff, I can affi rm that those donations are going exactly where the need is greatest.

It has been no small feat of logistics distributing Americans’ donated shoes. It all begins with Soles-4Souls founder and CEO Wayne Elsey, who is deter-mined to deliver on his organization’s ongoing mis-sion. He has broken through miles of red tape and crossed tremendous physical hurdles to get much-needed shoes and clothing into Haiti. Elsey has a ter-rifi c liaison in Chew, an American who has been liv-ing in Haiti for 20 years. Chew has access to vehicles, knows the lay of the land and has many people in his Mountaintop Ministries missionary network (includ-ing his three teenage sons) assisting with the distribu-tion of donations.

Our group traveled for three hours through crowd-ed market streets, down treacherous hills and along a rocky river valley that wasn’t a road at all. Luckily, an enthusiastic boy who appeared along the way proved instrumental in reaching our fi nal destination, as he repeatedly tested the water’s depth to fi nd the safest crossings. When we fi nally pulled up to an empty ce-ment building that we were told was operating as a school, there were no people around other than our little river guide and a couple of his buddies. Never-theless, we unloaded the trucks, organized the shoes for fi tting and—20 minutes later—a line as far as the eye could see had formed. I couldn’t believe how pa-tient and well-behaved the children acted—not a sin-gle noogie was infl icted and no one cut in line during the hours of waiting.

I jumped at the chance to man the kids’ foot-washing station. At the very least, a new pair of shoes warrants clean feet. But the simple act of cleansing went far be-

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yond that. I felt overwhelmed by the emotional con-nection I made through washing and drying each child’s feet and how grateful they all were. I real-ized then that the giving goes far beyond the shoes themselves.

THE COMMITMENT While I traveled through Haiti, my two children and husband were winding down the summer on the beach in New Jersey. I’m happy they had a ball—just as I have had in previous years. This year, however, I felt I was exactly where I belonged.

Having been involved in the footwear industry for nearly 15 years and a strong supporter of Soles4Souls since its inception in 2005, I considered it my duty to see the organization’s charitable efforts fi rsthand. Not only did I want to do my part on a personal level, I wanted to represent the entire industry, which has made a signifi cant difference in the lives of millions of people in need worldwide through its contributions and support.

I can proudly say: mission accomplished. Even though I shed a lot of tears during the trip, the posi-tive moments I witnessed far outweighed the sorrow. In fact, the glimmers of hope and happiness are some of my strongest memories. I’m truly grateful for the ex-perience and urge all of you, if you are not already, to become involved with Soles4Souls. And if you have the opportunity, join the charity on the front lines to help make a difference “one pair at a time” in Haiti and else-where around the world. •

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ATE IN 2009, Soles4Souls’ CEO Wayne Elsey had a “light bulb” mo-ment. He knew from experience that people who volunteer their time to help his charity distribute shoes to the needy around the world are transformed as a result. Learning about different cultures, displaying compassion and be-ing able to share a small gift with

the residents of developing nations undeniably turns volunteers into lifetime advocates of the organization. Additionally, Elsey had often heard people say they wished they could be a part of a Soles4Souls overseas distribution. With that, he hatched a plan for an out-reach program open to anyone interested in joining the cause.

Elsey is not one to let a great idea gather moss. By April 2010, the charity had invited its fi rst group of phil-anthropic travelers to join the Soles4Souls team on a distribution, and Elsey had hired Katie Lentile to head the fl edgling Travel With Us program. “He said, ‘I want you to create a department that allows Soles4Souls vol-unteers and donors to go around the world and experi-ence giving to those in need,’” Lentile recalls, noting she inherited responsibility for all of the details that went with the title of experiential manager—from budgeting and marketing the trips, to ensuring the shoes get to the distribution sites, to leading excursions to Haiti, Mexico, Honduras and beyond.

Soles4Souls encourages all of its donors and fans to sign up, and has hosted everyone from a 16-year-old Girl Scout to executives from major shoe companies that dedicate product to its cause. Lentile says busi-nesses that share details about their employees’ trips with other staffers and customers often experience a halo effect: “Coming back with their own photos and stories from a place like Haiti can be a signifi cant form of cause marketing,” she says.

Lentile has worked hard to ensure that participating in a Travel With Us trip is as convenient as possible. The trips all start at a U.S. hub city; once participants arrive there, the charity takes care of the rest. “After we leave the hub, they usually don’t have to spend a dime—even snacks are taken care of,” Lentile adds. Trip fees (which so far have ranged from $1,800 to $3,200, depending on the destination), cover the fl ight, ground transportation, food, accommodations, travel insurance, visas, the cost of local guides and translators, and a portion of the cost of shipping the shoes to the location—one of the charity’s greatest expenses. Prior to departure, travelers receive background information on the destination, local cus-toms and cultural differences; a packing list; an itiner-ary; a list of recommended immunizations; and simple phrases to help them communicate with the locals.

Prospective participants often voice concerns about safety, says Lentile, but after numerous trips, she be-lieves the chance of any incident occurring is slim. “Ob-viously, I can’t guarantee that nothing will happen, but we are as safe as possible,” she says, noting Soles4Souls

takes care to partner with aid organizations and con-tacts that the locals respect, who can lay the ground-work for her volunteer teams.

Once the group reaches a distribution site, they set up foot-washing stations, fi tting areas and a “back room” stock of shoes, but Lentile aims to keep the events casu-al. “We try to play with the kids, give them a little toy or stickers, tickle their feet. That makes true connections and brings a smile,” she explains. “The shoes bring hope to these people, but it’s also [the fact] that an American is taking the time to come give them something and ac-tually put them on their feet. It shows how much we’re willing to help.”

Similarly, the charity likes to show volunteers that their destination is more than a nation full of poverty and human suffering. Outside of tent villages and city slums, Soles4Souls gives its guests a taste of the host country’s positive attributes via side trips to local mar-kets, beaches or the countryside. Between the physical work of the shoe distributions and immersion into a new culture, the trips often provoke emotional experi-ences through which the travelers form lasting friend-ships. “My hope is that they come home and their lives are changed,” Lentile adds. “I hope they’ll always have memories of that one child or that one story and will become ambassadors for Soles4Souls and what we’re trying to do.”

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A HUMBLING EXPERIENCEAs a catastrophic insurance broker liv-ing in Birmingham, AL, Philip Young had encountered the effects of earth-quakes on paper but never personally witnessed the aftermath. “I decided to go to Haiti with Soles4Souls because I thought the concept of giving people a new pair of shoes in the wake of a di-saster was a great idea,” he says.

Young was struck by the poor condi-tion of the footwear many Haitians wore to the distribution center. “Most were torn or didn’t fi t,” he recalls. In one case, a teenage boy was wearing shoes roughly four sizes too small. “He was walking on the backs of the shoes with his heels hanging [out]. When I put the fi rst shoe on him and his heel [fi t perfectly], his face lit up.” The boy reminded Young of his 17-year-old brother. “That’s when it hit me that these were not random impoverished people living on a remote island; they are someone’s brother or sister, son or daughter. And we weren’t giving something they would like, we were giving them something they really needed. It was humbling to realize that something I take for granted every day could mean so much to someone else.”

PUTTING FEARS ASIDEColleagues and far-fl ung friends, Ruth Clark—who calls Seattle home—and Nancy Beardsley of St. Charles, IL, had been following the disturbing news coverage of Haiti and discussing what they could do to help. Nancy admit-ted that she didn’t trust that fi nancial donations would make a difference to the Haitians most in need. When Ruth told her about Soles4Souls’ travel op-portunity, Nancy told her friend to sign them up—despite her fears about vis-iting the devastated nation.

Those worries evaporated once they reached the island. “I felt very safe,” Nancy asserts, noting that as the trip progressed, she realized she felt safer in Haiti than she had on some mission trips she’d done inside the States. She believes everyone should visit a third-world country. “You begin to under-stand, to accept, to believe that it only matters that you do what you can do, where you can do it. You return with

confi dence and empowerment that what you do will be enough. And it is.”

Ruth also found joy through the experience of giving. “From the fi rst ‘bonjour,’ I was in love with this country. To be able to witness fi rsthand what a pair of shoes meant to the people of Haiti was beyond anything that I could have dreamed.” Her memories of the trip include riding the “tap-taps” (Haitian taxi cabs), spending time at the beach, driving through the mountains, and distributing shoes in Haiti’s poorest slum and at an orphanage. “Haiti is a land fi lled with beautiful people and scenery, and it has forever put a tattoo of love on my heart,” Ruth says.

Nancy agrees: “I learned so much. Any time you go out-

side your comfort zone, it promises to change you. [This trip] was a 360º experience providing an opportunity for me to serve, feel good and fi nd hope. The Soles4Souls lead-ership group wanted us to see and feel Haiti—all of it.”

COMMITTING TO THE CAUSEMarried couple Ed and Evanne Gargiulo of Greenwich, CT, had wanted to get more involved in charity work for years,

but between their demanding jobs and young children, their efforts were limited to attending an oc-casional benefi t or writing a check. “When we read that Soles4Souls allows you to work alongside their staff and volunteers to distribute shoes, and they [pre-arrange] the entire trip... it was the clincher to get my wife and I started helping people in need more directly,” Ed says.

The pair chose to visit Haiti be-cause they knew the need there was—and is still—so huge. “Not a

day has gone by since we’ve returned that we don’t think about our time there,” Ed says. “Washing the feet of Haitian children, fi tting them with new shoes, seeing the apprecia-tion on their faces—we can honestly say our Soles4Souls experience gave us more satisfaction than any contribu-tion check we’ve ever written. To witness hundreds of Hai-tian children line up within minutes of our arrival, stand in line well-behaved for hours with no guarantees, and ex-pressing extreme gratitude upon receiving a simple pair of shoes… We felt selfi sh for the joy and satisfaction it gave us in return.”

Back at home, Ed notes his family now reconsiders their purchases, fi rst thinking about how many pairs of shoes the money would buy for the Haitian people. “A new iPad could put shoes on an entire Haitian village,” he points out. “This Soles4Souls trip has made us view what we have, what we want and what we need differently. Our priorities have forever been re-ordered and it has fed a desire to do much more.” •

Ruth Clark (above) and Nancy Beardsley.

To sign up, visit www.soles4souls.org/get_involved/travel. For further details, contact Katie Lentile at (866) 521-SHOE or katiel@giveshoes.org.

These destinations are on the docket for the second half of the year (dates are yet to be determined):

June: Tanzania, Haiti July: Peru, HaitiAugust: HaitiSeptember: Haiti

October: Mexico, HaitiNovember: Haiti, HondurasDecember: Haiti

PLAN YOUR TRIPHave these stories inspired you to combine world travels and philanthropy? Soles4Souls has a slew of volunteer trips on the calendar for 2011. Unearth your passport and get ready to give!

Jan. 5–9: HaitiJan. 20–30: IndiaFeb. 15–18: HaitiMarch 7–11: Haiti

March 20–25: PeruApril 4–8: HaitiApril 10–14: HondurasMay 15–18: Haiti

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THEY SAY HOME is where the heart is, but what if you don’t have a home? What if you’d watched your home crumble to the ground following a devastating earthquake, and the only home that you’ve known since was a makeshift tent? What if you were des-perately waiting for aid groups to come to your assistance, but the proverbial red tape has strangled any hope of relief? What if your government was

in disarray, hardly functioning or—worse—too corrupt to care? Well, then you would be like millions of Hai-tians who have been living in extreme poverty since the earthquake of last January, without homes, communi-

ties, and little or no hope. Such was the crisis witnessed by Soles4Souls founder

and CEO Wayne Elsey when he fi rst arrived in Haiti last May to deliver shoes and clothing to people in desper-ate need. Since then, Elsey and his team have been back numerous times to distribute more shoes and clothing. Yet each time, the living conditions he observed on the island remained largely the same: Far too many Haitians still live in the squalor of tent cities, while thousands more in remote areas are completely homeless.

“It was very evident upon my fi rst visit that housing is Haiti’s No. 1 need,” Elsey says. “But it’s like the world has discounted that need and believes the tents suf-fi ce.” That’s far from the reality, according to Elsey, who describes the conditions as “horrid”: The sprawling tent

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cities are cramped and extremely overcrowded, there’s no running water and raw sewage is every-where. Initially, Elsey got mad: “It’s unconscionable that nobody is building housing for these people. This needs to change.” But rather than wait for other aid groups to get involved, Elsey has decided Soles4Souls will start undertak-ing some homebuilding itself. “We have donated shoes and we recently launched Clothes4Souls, but we just can’t turn our backs to the homelessness and the fact that people’s lives are in danger,” he says.

The fi rst step was securing the support of Mountaintop Minis-tries, a local outreach organization headed by Haitian native John Chew, who graciously donated acres of land where Soles4Souls plans to build homes. The cinder block structures (designed to be earthquake resistant) will measure approximately 20 by 30 feet and will primarily serve as sleeping quarters for eight to 15 residents, depending on the number of bunk beds and individual rooms built. Elsey says there is room for 150 to 200 such homes on this land, which is located in a remote area about a three-hour drive from Haiti’s capital, Port au Prince. The fi rst home is scheduled to be completed this month, and Elsey projects the charity will build at least one home per month thereafter. Soles-4Souls also wants to eventually construct a local school, church, orphanage and soccer fi eld. The latter he hopes will be funded by an athletic footwear company.

From the outset, Elsey’s vision was that the “Soles-4Souls village” be self-sustaining. That goal begins by hiring Haitians to construct the buildings. “We want to offer a sustainable, long-term strategy where we teach the local population how to build these homes,” he says, adding that it’s an affordable premise. “Families are ba-sically fed on about $1 a day,” he offers. “Well, I’ll hire people at a fair wage to build houses if it means they can feed their families as a result.” In addition, Elsey plans to introduce micro-enterprising into the village as another means of community sustainability. Thanks to Americans who have donated thousands of gently worn shoes to Soles4Souls, local residents will be able to trade footwear for other basic necessities like food, water and housing supplies. “We are putting people in business with America’s excess shoes as Haitians trade them as a means of life,” he explains.

In addition to job creation, Elsey anticipates that the village will generate intangible self-sustaining attri-butes. For example, he believes the construction jobs will motivate the country’s younger generation to plug in and try to make a difference in their communities. It’s much more than a job, Elsey notes. “I can teach a 20-year-old that he doesn’t have to live this way. But fi rst I have to give him an opportunity to not live that way.”

Keith Woodley, Soles4Souls’ vice president of strategic develop-ment, adds, “It all starts by putting a roof over people’s heads so they have safety and stability. In doing so, we can build the infrastructure that becomes the foundation of a healthy community.”

Building the Soles4Souls vil-lage is a lengthy and large-scale endeavor—one that Elsey says has a much better chance of be-coming a reality if corporations make much-needed financial contributions. “We are asking in-terested shoe companies to spon-sor a house for $25,000,” he says. That amount will cover the ma-terials, labor and construction of one house. The sponsoring com-

pany’s name will be featured on a plaque located on the facade of the home. “A house for $25,000 is nothing compared to American standards,” Elsey notes. “Hope-fully, companies will see the value of this effort: provid-ing families with a new home.”

One way to get sponsors to appreciate the value is have them see the homes they’ve built fi rsthand. Soles-4Souls plans to invite representatives from sponsoring companies to travel to Haiti to assist in applying the fi -nal touches to their homes. Once there, the representa-tives can also help distribute donated shoes and cloth-ing. Both Elsey and Woodley believe these trips will personalize the involvement, paying huge emotional dividends to the participants. For example, sponsors may be able to meet the actual family members resid-ing in the house they funded. And unlike a one-time fi nancial contribution or donation of shoes, Woodley believes sponsoring a Soles4Souls home offers compa-nies an opportunity for ongoing involvement. “It’s not like buying a billboard ad, a TV spot or doing a one-time in-store promotion,” he says. “Sponsoring a home is much more substantial. It helps people recover in a devastated area, and the company can be a part of that recovery process.” Woodley sees the potential for companies to develop micro websites that chronicle the lives of the people living in their home and the sur-rounding community. “This would allow the company’s employees to stay connected with the people they ini-tially set out to help,” he says.

Elsey believes such a grandiose vision is exactly what it will take to get the Soles4Souls village off the ground. And once the charity demonstrates that it can be done—to the tune of 20 or 30 homes—Elsey plans to reach out to other aid organizations, like the Clinton Global Initiative, for help building additional homes. “There’s no way Soles4Souls can put a big enough dent into the overwhelming need for housing in Haiti, but we can get a movement started,” Elsey says. “I want to prove that it can be done, while letting others know that much more still needs to be built.” •

Local Haitians at work buidling the fi rst home in the Soles4Souls village.

The cinder block homes will be earthquake-resistant.

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1. U.S. Soles4Souls recognizes there are many people in need in its own backyard. Committed to making a signifi cant impact at home, more than 50 percent of the organization’s distributions take place within the United States. Atlanta, Miami, Chi-cago and Flagstaff, AZ, for example, have all received upwards of 65,000 pairs of shoes via Soles4Souls.

2. SOUTHERNCALIFORNIA Raging wild-fi res have ripped through Southern California over the past few years and have enveloped many family homes, leaving residents with virtual-ly nothing. Soles4Souls has sent more than 90,000 pairs of shoes to Orange County, helping provide for victims in the surrounding region.

3. NASHVILLE, TNWhen fl oodwaters from the Cumber-land River ruined numerous homes

in Soles4Souls’ hometown in May 2010, the organization sprung to ac-tion, distributing not only footwear but also clothing and water to people whose possessions had been lost.

4. BAJA PENINSULA For fi ve years, Soles4Souls has teamed with shoe industry insiders to distrib-ute product in this region of Mexico. This fall, footwear executives, reps and retailers brought full size runs from brands like Clarks, New Balance and Hi-Tec, fi tting 2,500 individuals into new shoes in just fi ve hours.

5. HAITI Already the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere (and fi fth poorest in the world), Haiti’s conditions exponentially worsened after the 7.0-magnitude earthquake ripped through the island on Jan. 12, 2010. Soles4Souls immedi-ately responded by sending shoes and clothing to the island, and it plans to

make monthly visits in 2011 with a goal of providing 1.3 million pairs and ongoing aid to the Haitian people.

6. CARIBBEAN RIMAlong with Haiti, the 29 countrieslocated in the Caribbean Sea—most of which have populations living in extreme poverty—are frequent recipients of Soles4Souls’ donated goods, due to sheer need and the charity’s partnerships with other organizations that have an ongoing presence in the area.

7. TEGUCIGALPA, HONDURAS The capital of Honduras has become a signifi cant distribution point for Soles4Souls, as the charity tries to make an impact in a region where rampant poverty and high unemployment is the norm.

8. PERU After several signifi -cant earthquakes shook this nation

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in the spring of 2010, Soles4Souls sent more than 30,000 pairs of work boots to provide locals with safe and sturdy footwear to aid the clean-up and re-covery process. 9. AFRICA The World Bank defi nes “extreme poverty” as living on less than $1 (U.S.) per day. It is estimated that one billion people worldwide fall into that category, with the greatest concentration living in Africa. Soles4Souls is addressing this need through established distribution points in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Nairobi, Kenya; and Lome, Togo.

10. ROMANIA & UKRAINE Cities where cold weather can occur six months out of the year are high-priority recipients of boots and sturdy, waterproof shoes donated to Soles4Souls. In countries such as Romania and Ukraine, much of this product is distributed at the

city level through local orphanages, schools and clinics. 11. U.A.E. Soles4Souls looks beyond the obvious places to fi nd people across the globe it can outfi t in new shoes and clothing. Even in wealthy nations, such as the United Arab Emirates, there are people strug-gling to make ends meet who are thankful for the gift of shoes.

12. PAKISTAN Soles4Souls has had a long-standing presence in Pakistan and thus could quickly respond to the massive fl ooding this summer as well as an earthquake that rocked the nation in September. The charity often funnels footwear com-panies’ leftover, mismatched shoes to Pakistan, where locals help pair up “near mates” and rework them to create wearable pairs.

13. MYANMAR Thanks to a generous donation directly from foot-wear brands’ factories and interna-tional distribution centers, Soles4Souls was able to ship 50,000 pairs to Myan-mar to assist citizens rebuilding after Cyclone Nargis crashed ashore in May 2008. The worst natural disaster in the country’s recorded history, the tropical storm caused at least 138,000 fatalities and $10 billion in damage.

14. MONGOLIAThrough a network of partners that stretches around the globe, Soles-4Souls is helping people in need of new footwear even in countries as remote as this one.

15. INDIA, FIJIExpanding its reach further across the globe, Soles4Souls has plans to dis-tribute shoes in India and Fiji in 2011, among other sites.

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