Putting on a pair of shoes is a luxury most take for granted every day, not realizing millions of children and adults try to manage without, barefoot and exposed to the elements, too ashamed to attend school or unable to find work to support themselves and their family members. Whether it is due to financial hardships, natural disasters or personal challenges, living without shoes hinders the chance to break free from the cycles of poverty, create a new future, or avoid diseases that come from immobility or trudging through unsanitary pathways.
Soles4Souls started as a disaster relief organization to provide much needed footwear to those affected by the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2005 and soon after, Hurricane Katrina in 2006. Today, Soles4Souls continues to outfit millions of children and adults around the world with new shoes, while also collecting millions of gently worn shoes. The previously worn shoes are refurbished and resold by start up micro-enterprises in third-world countries.
Through Rimini Street Foundation’s partnership with Soles4Souls, Rimini Street volunteers helped decorate and distribute 150 personalized pair of shoes to children during our volunteer activity event in Las Vegas, and provided 10,000 new pairs of shoes to many deserving people around the world.
