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CAMPUS NEWS
SHOE a NATION
by Philip Poole
Samford University has announced a partnership with
Samaritan’s Feet to provide shoes and other support for the
Caribbean nation of Dominica. The overall theme of the
partnership is “Shoe a Nation.”
Samaritan’s Feet, a nonprofit organization founded in 2003, is
based in Charlotte, N.C., with global offices in Brazil, Nigeria, Peru
and South Africa. Founder Manny Ohonme’s goal is to provide
shoes and “words of hope” to individuals in need, just as were
provided to him by a missionary to his native Nigeria more than 30
years ago. (Samaritan’s Feet is not affiliated with the similarly named
Samaritan’s Purse organization.)
The partnership was announced by Samford President Andrew
Westmoreland at a spring convocation. Colin Coyne, Samford’s
chief strategy officer, is coordinating the partnership.
The initial project is to raise funds to purchase up to 6,000
pairs of shoes for children in Dominica. The shoes will be distributed
in conjunction with the 10th Caribbean Baptist Fellowship
Youth Festival to be held in July in Dominica.
As of May 20, more than $40,000 had been raised toward this
goal, Coyne said.
Samford’s Sigma Nu fraternity pledged to raise funds for up to
1,000 pairs of shoes. Members sponsored a 1K walk/run in May
that raised about $6,500 toward that goal.
“I appreciate the student leadership at Samford for taking on
this goal,” Coyne said, “especially since it was at a difficult time of
year with end-of-semester projects and exams.”
Samford alumni Steve ’89 and Suzanne Brown Davidson ’91 of
Montgomery, Ala., provided funds for 600 pairs of shoes. “Samford
has always held a special place in my heart for a multitude of
reasons, and now this will be another,” Steve Davidson said.
Samford’s Frances Marlin Mann Center for Ethics and
Leadership, led by Executive Director Drayton Nabers, funded
1,000 pairs. Promotions later in June were planned through
Samford’s young alumni board and the university’s annual “Big
Give” fund-raising initiative.
“We have donors from the university’s advisory boards, alumni,
employees, students and others who are actively involved with Shoe
a Nation,” Coyne added. “This project is generating university-wide
excitement, which is what we had hoped would happen.”
Dominica is in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean and
has a population of about 72,000. The economy is heavily dependent
on tourism and agriculture.
In addition to the shoe project, 10 faculty members and
students from McWhorter School of Pharmacy will travel to
Dominica in July to do health screenings and explore long-term
health-care partnerships. Samford student-athletes and athletics
department staff will do sports clinics and other service projects in
conjunction with the July youth festival.
“The impact of providing shoes goes beyond just the actual
shoes,” Coyne explained. “By giving shoes, we can eliminate an
epidemic of unnecessary death. Each child will feel the warmth and
love of God’s hand as they are ministered to by Samford students
and festival delegates.”
The plans for July are just the beginning of what Westmoreland
and Coyne anticipate being a long-term relationship for the
Samford community and the people of Dominica. The initiative is
an extension of Samford’s Christian mission.
“Leadership isn’t defined by enrollment. It is defined by clarity
or purpose and commitment to realizing the potential within,”
Westmoreland said. “This is not a timid goal. But, if acting boldly
inspires another school to do the same in service to others, then we
have successes in a much bigger sense.” ◗
If you are interested in the Samaritan’s Feet partnership, including
financial support, contact Coyne at ccoyne@samford.edu.
Contributions made to the partnership through Samford are tax
deductible.
For more information about Samaritan’s Feet, go to
www.samaritansfeet.org.
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