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VOL. 127 | NO. 15 | Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Giving Back
Jeremy Park
Shoes That Bring Hope
By Jeremy Park
Last week we highlighted Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Memphis, which is helping children succeed and thrive in life through professionally supported one-to-one relationships with mentors. This week let us thank the volunteers who recently came out and helped us wash the feet of more than 200 kids here in Memphis, providing them with new socks and shoes, by spotlighting the organization and global ambassadors who are expressing love and compassion to the nearly 300 million people who go without shoes each day: Samaritan's Feet.
For the past two years the Lipscomb Pitts Breakfast Club has teamed with the Memphis Grizzlies and its charitable foundation to host a Samaritan's Feet Shoe Distribution. The event kicks off an annual National Day of Service that commemorates the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who dreamed of people of diverse backgrounds coming together as a “Beloved Community” to help those in need. It is fitting that Memphis is the city tipping off the 17-city unified effort tied to MLK Day.
On Friday, Jan. 13, more than 100 volunteers from different economic, social and ethnic backgrounds came out to show their love and support. Volunteers were corporate leaders and business owners, U.S. Navy sailors, Memphis Grizzlies players, educators, government officials and nonprofit workers. It was inspirational to see so many people come together, demonstrating such an act of servant leadership and compassion. Children were selected, based on need, from various organizations such as Girls Inc., Catholic Charities and Refugee Empowerment Center.
The magic was not just in the children’s joy and appreciation – many said it was the best day of their lives – but, rather in some of the intimate moments. There was a 14-year-old girl who dreamed of becoming a chef. The adult washing her feet was Rusty Prudhon, owner of Napa Café, who invited her and her family to the restaurant for dinner and personal training. Her smile could have spanned the globe! Then there were countless kids who asked the Navy sailors for a picture, not just thanking them for their shoes, but for serving our country. Indeed, the day was about much more than shoes – it was about sharing love and hope!
Part of the treasure was having Manny Ohonme, founder of Samaritan's Feet, with us to share his personal story. When Ohonme was growing up in Nigeria, a missionary gave him his first pair of shoes at age 9. Those shoes allowed him to learn to play basketball, which ultimately earned him a college scholarship and a corporate career. In 2003, he started Samaritan's Feet as a solution for 300 million people who go without shoes each day and the 1 million children who die each year from footborne diseases. His organization has already blessed an estimated 3.5 million children in more than 62 nations. Visit www.samaritansfeet.org to learn more.
Jeremy Park, director of communications at Lipscomb Pitts Insurance and director of the Lipscomb Pitts Breakfast Club, can be reached at jeremyp@lpinsurance.com.