MOUNT BERRY, Ga. - Berry College Athletics has announced a shoe drive for Soles4Souls to be conducted during April.

Athletics is asking for athletic shoe donations, new, slightly used or very worn, to be placed in the designated boxes located in The Cage Center, Krannert, or Richards beginning April 1 through April 23.

"Servant leadership is a part of what makes us 'Berry'." says SAAC president Angelle Thornton. 

"Serving others around us and uplifting the community whenever possible is what makes our own community so special and is why I am so proud to be able to say I am a part of it."

Soles4Souls focuses on four key points with their donations:

1. 4 Relief - This key is focused on providing new shoes to people in crisis. When people experience economic hardship, either chronically or because of an emergency, meeting basic needs is a challenge. Together with their partners, Soles4Souls lends a hand to people in communities right when they need it: poverty and homelessness, natural disasters and health crises, domestic violence, along with war and political unrest.

2. 4 Opportunity - Soles4Souls focusing this on helping people in developing countries escape poverty through entrepreneurship. In low-income countries, it is difficult to escape poverty, so they work to help people start and grow businesses that sell donated shoes. Since 2006, with their partners they have created 1000s of jobs in 53 countries on 5 continents.

3. 4 EveryKid - They have a belief that every child deserves a good pair of shoes and their goal is to provide brand new athletic shoes to every single child experiencing homelessness.

4. 4 ThePlanet - Donating your shoes and clothing reduces their CO2 impact per wear by extending their life by at least 15 months. To date, we've diverted 42 MILLION KILOGRAMS of textile out of landfills.

Our goal as a College is collect 500 pairs of shoes which will translate to these three key impacts for others:

    - Divert 625 pounds from going to local landfills, reducing the environmental impact of these unwanted shoes by extending their lifespan. 

      - Can create $4525 of economic opportunity for families and communities around the world through our 4Opportunity and 4Relief programs. This means more money in their pockets to use towards necessities, education, and economic          opportunities for their families.

       - In countries like Haiti and Honduras, our donations can provide consistent, quality food, housing and education for a family for 6 months

Help Viking Athletics change lives and donate your shoes starting April 1!