DISD Staff ‘Walk a Mile’ for Orphans’ Shoes

By Jenny Pope
Buckner International

(DALLAS, Texas) – Dallas Independent School District staff and personnel put the American proverb to practice May 9 when they gathered to ‘Walk in Mile in My Shoes’ and collect new athletic shoes for Dallas students and orphans around the world.

Staff collected 170 pairs of new shoes and 53 pairs of socks at the staff development event, which was created to promote diversity, philanthropy and exercise. More donations are expected to be gathered in bins positioned throughout the school district’s facilities in the coming weeks.

The event was organized by Staff Development Coordinator Victoria Calder, who first heard about Shoes for Orphan Souls after reading a news article in the Dallas Morning News.

“When I read that article, I thought, ‘We’ve got to do something to help them,” she said. “More than 75 percent of our student population is on free or reduced lunch. And this summer, we’ve expecting to receive 400 immigrants. Many of them come without shoes.”

Half of the collected shoes are designated to go back to DISD students; the other half will be distributed as needed in the United States or in countries abroad.

Jim Mullins, a plumber with the DISD Service Center, brought eight pairs of shoes to the event to represent eight members of his team.

“I think it’s great that y’all are doing this,” he said. “I feel blessed by my own abundance in my life. So I’m happy to do something for the less fortunate. If a child’s in need, those of us who are able to help should do so in any way they can.”

Shoes for Orphan Souls is a ministry of Buckner International. Since 1999, more than 1.6 million pairs of shoes have been distributed to orphans and at-risk children and families in more than 60 countries around the world.