He doesn’t carry pom-poms, execute toe-touches or lead chanting crowds, but Larry Lunsford has earned the reputation of “shoe cheerleader” in northern Missouri over the last 12 years of getting Rotarians pumped up to serve orphans.

It began back in 2001 as Larry Lunsford was preparing to become the next president of Rotary District 6040 and brainstorming ways he could build a sense of camaraderie between the clubs in his district.

During a visit to Texas to see his longtime friend Scott Collins, vice president of communications for Buckner International, Lunsford learned about a humanitarian aid project Buckner had recently taken over called Shoes for Orphan Souls.

“It was really a perfect meshing of goals that I had here in northern Missouri,” Lunsford said. “I was looking for a project that all of our Rotary clubs could do together, and I was hoping it would have some sort of international tie.  It’s a tangible way for a lot of our Rotarians in the rural clubs to feel they are connected to the international aspects of Rotary International.”

Missouri Rotary District 6040 has done shoe drives for a dozen consecutive years, with around 55 Rotary clubs across northern Missouri and more than 2,500 individuals pitching in to help. Read the rest of this entry

Emanuel clutched the handwritten note he found in his new pair of shoes for hours.

Last June, a team from A New Community Church in Garland, Texas, traveled to the remote area of Bungoma, Kenya to deliver shoes to an orphanage of 16 children. There, they met a sweet boy named Emanuel. 

“Emanuel is a firecracker and a bundle of energy,” said Nancy Brooks, a member of the mission team. “He comes from a village where many of the children have lost both parents.” 

As a new pair of shoes was put on Emanuel’s feet, he reached inside and pulled out a piece of paper. It was a note written by a child volunteer at the Buckner Center for Humanitarian Aid. Ecstatic about his discovery, Emanuel showed all of his friends the letter and held it for hours. 

Reflecting on her experience, Brooks said, “It made me know what small things can do in the life of a child who has absolutely nothing!” 

Would you like to deliver shoes to a child like Emanuel? Click here to see our current list of open shoe delivery trips.

If you’ve been on a trip with us before, share your stories in the comments below!

When 10-year-old Abbey went searching for a way to help others, she found the perfect mix of fun and philanthropy in a shoe drive and shoe party.

“She’s very empathetic,” said Katie Kadlec, Abbey’s mom. “She wanted to do something for kids around the world, so we went online and found the Shoes for Orphan Souls website. She loved it.”

Abbey busily began planning and organizing her efforts. When she gets an idea into her head, her mom said, she gets very committed.

Her first step was to spread the word about her shoe drive. She spoke in front of her church, Messiah Lutheran in Vancouver, Wash.

“Abbey was very confident when she got up to talk about her project,” said Jessica Potts, director of youth and young adult ministries at Messiah Lutheran. “She inspired a lot of people of all ages to get involved with the project, from elementary school kids to older people.

“There were even several visitors to the church that morning who heard her speak about the project and came up to her afterward and handed her money because they were moved to donate.” Read the rest of this entry

The Buckner-K-LOVE partnership during April led two small businesses separated by 1,800 miles to donate more than 250 pairs of new children’s shoes to Shoes for Orphan Souls.

Monkey-Toes is a playful line of animal- and insect-themed footwear for children.

Jenny Ford, founder of Monkey-Toes, and Nick Svab, president of Little Laces, each heard about Shoes for Orphan Souls while listening to K-LOVE radio stations in their respective towns of Centennial, Colo., and Wilmington, N.C. The Shoes for Orphan Souls mission resonated with them both and they knew they had something to contribute.

Ford was in the process of selling off the last of her inventory of hand painted children’s shoes when she heard about Shoes for Orphan Souls.

“I was listening to K-LOVE and they were talking about the shoe drive,” Ford said. “So I just kind of took it as God speaking to me. I was happy to send the last of my inventory, because it will do so much more good for kids who need shoes than it would to sell one or two pairs off at a time here in the United States.”

Nick and Erica, owners of Little Laces, sell colorful clogs and other children's footwear.

Svab and his wife, Erica, founded Little Laces, a children’s shoe company, in 2011. Giving is one of the couple’s spiritual gifts, he said, and their business has given a portion of its profits to children’s charities from the start.

“Being able to see a need and being able to fill it is really what excites us in our spiritual walk,” Svab said. “When we heard about the shoe drive on K-LOVE, we just felt that was another great children-minded ministry that we could be a part of.” Read the rest of this entry

Churches to collect shoes, bring them to Texas Baptist Family Gathering in San Antonio July 14-17

DALLAS— Buckner International is teaming up with Texas Baptists to encourage Baptist churches across the state to collect new shoes now through July 14 and bring them to the first-ever Texas Baptist Family Gathering, which will take place July 14 – 17 in San Antonio, Texas. Shoes collected will benefit vulnerable children in the Rio Grande Valley and around the world.

“As a long-time Texas Baptist, it is inspiring to see our Baptist family join together in the spirit of the Lord to serve orphans and vulnerable children,” said Albert Reyes, president and CEO of Buckner International. “This year’s gathering has the potential to bring about redemptive transformation in the lives of thousands of lives around the world. New shoes are just the beginning. We are blessed and humbled to be a part of this movement.”

Last year, Buckner partnered with the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas to collect more than 3,000 pairs of shoes and 994 pairs of socks. This year’s collection is expected to benefit even more children through the generous donation of new shoes from churches affiliated with the Hispanic Convention, the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the National African American Fellowship. Read the rest of this entry