FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

2,010 Central Indiana residents will receive a new pair of shoes and socks

as part of the 2010 Men’s Final Four Festivities. 

 “Barefoot For Bare Feet” is a movement created by Samaritan’s Feet

that has gained worldwide appeal. Some of the 3,000 barefoot basketball coaches will have an opportunity to give back what they raised through their barefoot efforts. 

(INDIANAPOLIS, IN) –March 29, 2010 – Samaritan’s Feet “Barefoot for Bare Feet” program will culminate on Thursday, April 1, where college and high school coaches will wash the feet of the impoverished and put a pair of new shoes on their feet. 

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has teamed with the Indianapolis Local Organizing Committee (ILOC), Samaritan's Feet and the National Association of Basketball Coaches' (NABC) to distribute the shoes to pre-selected individuals in Indianapolis.

At the shoe distribution on Thursday, Samaritan's Feet, NCAA college coaches and nearly 200 volunteers will demonstrate servant leadership by washing the feet of each shoe recipient, providing a message of hope and supplying each child with a new pair of shoes.  

In January 2010, more than 3,000 basketball coaches, at all levels, coached a game in their bare feet in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The barefoot coaches will now have an opportunity to witness the fruits of their labor by giving away a new pair of shoes. This event is part of the NCAA Men’s Final Four activities on Thursday, April 1, from 1:00-6:00pm at George Washington High School, 2215 W. Washington Street, Indianapolis, IN 46222.

There are more than 300 million children who go without shoes every day.  It's their only mode of transportation.  That's why Samaritan's Feet (www.samaritansfeet.org) was started. Samaritan's Feet is a humanitarian relief organization based in Charlotte, NC that puts shoes on the feet of children all around the world. 

The shoe distribution is part of the “Barefoot For Bare Feet” project, which was headlined by IUPUI Head Basketball Coach Ron Hunter’s nationwide effort of coaching a game in his bare feet for Samaritan’s Feet. In January 2010, Coach Hunter was joined by nearly 3,000 basketball coaches to coach a game in their bare feet during the MLK Day weekend of January 14-18. 

"I am so excited to be a part of this shoe distribution with the NCAA, NABC at the Final Four, especially in my hometown,” said Hunter.

“We are extremely pleased that coaches will serve the community of Indianapolis and use their platforms to provide a voice for those children world-wide who will never own a pair of shoes,” noted Samaritan’s Feet Founder, Manny Ohonme. “Their involvement at the Final Four has moved this event to a new level and our ongoing global mission to reach the world’s neediest children with the gift of shoes.”

“This is our second year teaming with Samaritan’s Feet and the NABC, and we see much growth and potential with the program as part of the Men’s Final Four community initiatives,” said Jacqie Carpenter, NCAA Director of the Division I Men’s Basketball Championship who oversees community service activities for the Men’s Final Four. “The ability to identify communities and children in need of shoes is a blessing. The experience with working with Samaritan’s Feet is life changing and we are excited about the impact that will be made in Indianapolis this week.”

About Samaritan's Feet

Samaritan's Feet is a humanitarian relief organization based in Charlotte, NC that puts shoes on the feet of children all around the world.  Our goal is to provide-10 million pairs of shoes for 10 million impoverished people in 10 years.  To date, nearly 3 million pairs of shoes for children around the world have been collected. 

It was started in 2003 by President and Founder, Manny Ohonme.  Manny received his first pair of shoes at the age of 9 from a missionary.  He started playing basketball and other sports with these new pair of shoes.  He earned a spot on a traveling basketball team and eventually his high school team.  Upon graduating high school, he was offered a scholarship to play basketball at University of North Dakota (Lake Region) where he received his Bachelor's and Master's Degrees

The 1,010 shoe recipients have already been pre-selected by the Indianapolis Local Organizing Committee and the organizations they are working with. 

Thursday, April 1st, 2010 (1,010 pairs)

George Washington Community School

2215 W. Washington Street

Indianapolis, IN 46222

317.963.5555

Recipient Organizations: Mary Rigg Neighborhood Center, Christamore House, Hawthorne Community Center

8:00am-Unload shoes & supplies at George Washington High School.

10:00am-12:00pm Pre Event Set-Up at George Washington High School, train the volunteers, set up shoe store, wash stations and registration tables

1:00-6:00pm Shoe and Food Distribution at George Washington

2:30pm Coaches Arrive on Site at George Washington

4:00pm Coaches Depart 

6:00-7:00pm Clean-Up