Do Something - Soles4Souls Article in Success Magazine
One person... One Idea... 10 million Pairs of shoes, and Counting
Wayne Elsey knew he had to do something when he saw an image of a lone shoe on the beach after the 2004 tsunami hit Southeast Asia. At the time, he was the president of a shoe company, and the image and the immense need struck a chord.
Elsey conspired with others in his network to collect and distribute shoes to people who had lost everything. In only eight weeks, he collected more than 250,000 pairs of shoes for Southeast Asians. When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, Elsey coordinated another effort and collected more that 1 million pairs of shoes. Six months later, Elsey, who was still managing his corporate responsibilities, founded the nonprofit Soles4Souls to begin collecting and distributing shoes on an ongoing basis. In 2007, he left his corporate position to oversee the effort full time.
Elsey's message is simple: Each person has the ability to make an impact on someone's life. "There's nothing that's too small to make a difference. You can go down the street, within a mile of your house, and find someone who is hurting," he says. "There's a natural disaster happening in people's lives every day."
Soles4Souls began at what Elsey says was a grass-roots level. Want to make a difference? Here are a few words of advice:
Person to person. "Give people a little grace and love," Elsey says. "You're not the only one dealing with stuff. Everybody has stuff."
As an organization. If your company or group is working on a charitable effort, keep your message simple. "Simple is better. our message is very simple: We get and give shoes," he says.
Do something. "You can do it - you can make a difference. Get off the couch, find something that you're passionate about, and do something. It doesn't have to take a lot of money: you just have to be a person with heart to make a difference in people's lives."
