Everest College Lab B Shoe Heros

Ladies and Gentleman,

I would like to introduce to you the exceptional team of Medical Assistant students from Lab B at Everest College in Vancouver Washington. This group was challenged by an assignment to come up with a community service project that was also somehow medically related.  Vicky, the tall blond standing back and center, is actually a patient of Daren’s and she took note of the signs sitting in his office.

Vicky took the idea back to her class, made the phone call to us, and this group off and running. We provided them with the collection bin, signage, and flyers and they provided the motivation and leg work.  Over the span of 3 weeks they  collected hundreds of shoes! This group alone collected almost as many shoes as we collected over our entire holiday drive last season.

All of the shoes from this drive were sent to Children of the Nations to benefit needy children and families in the various locations COTN serves.  We should be receiving first hand stories and pictures of some of those deliveries soon.

Thank you  and Congratulations  to Lab B for all of your hard work and dedication to this shoe drive.

This was a huge success!

Shoe Drive Going on Now

Shoe drive going on now at Everest College in Vancouver, Washington!

Everest College is an accredited university that offers men and women career training and life skills needed to excel in their chosen field. They offer programs in everything from accounting to paralegal to bookkeeping and medical insurance billing at this campus alone.

Shoes for Life has partnered with one such program. The students of Lab B in the Medical Assisting program contacted us with the goal of running a shoe drive. The Shoe drive is up and running have having some great success! There is a bin on campus near the front office just waiting for your shoe donation.

Drop your shoes off in the bin with our Shoes for Life Logo at

120 NE 136th Ave, Ste 130   Vancouver, WA 98684

All shoes  from this drive will be donated to Children of the Nation.

If you are interested in hosting a Shoe drive of your own contact us at Shoesforlifepdx@gmail.com

Feet hurt? So did hers

It looks like everyone could use a pair of well fitting shoes for a better quality of life.
Gay the Elephant at Paignton Zoo Environmental Park in Devon, England just received a custom made pair of slippers to ease her foot pain. Last year Gay’s keepers noticed an abscess on her right foot and another one on her left foot this January. After various treatment options, such as regular pedicure, failed she was fitted for her 16 inch across slippers. Each slipper cost $400 and has durable laces.

So many children and needy families all over the world are still in need of a good fitting pair of shoes in order to do the simplest of tasks such as walking to town or going to school.

Keep this in mind next time you toss out a pair of last years design. Shoes for Life can give them a new home with a new family.

And I’m sure the recipient of your shoes would be even happier than Gay the Elephant!

Click here to read the full story about Gay on MSNBC.

Shoes for Life Receives a Grant of Services from top marketing firm

Shoes for Life has received a services grant from George Brand Marketing!

George Brands, is an independent consulting firm dedicated to helping clients grown their business by approaching marketing a bit differently.

Together we will be pursing new marketing ideas and event opportunities.

Learn more about Ryan the Marketing Guy, the founder of George Brands and the giver of the grant  at  www.georgebrands.com

Shoes for Life is going International

Shoes for life is preparing to send our first international shipment of shoes!

Through our partnership with Children of the Nation, all of the shoes we receive up until March 18th will be shipped directly to families in Malawi.

Tragically, some 1.2 million of Malawi’s children have been orphaned by the AIDS epidemic that has swept sub-Saharan Africa.

This number of AIDS orphans is projected to double or triple in this region by 2010. Already overtaxed relatives are turning away their orphaned nieces and nephews, granddaughters and grandsons, leaving them to fend for themselves on the streets. As a result, many children take up theft or prostitution as a means to survive.

Many of the children that have come to Children of the Nation in Malawi are kids that have lost both parents and were living in a village with relatives. However, these relatives are already caring for many children—over thirty, in some cases. As a result, there is no more room for an additional mouth. Consequently, the children that we now have were abused. A few were on the edge of death when they were rescued.

The simple provisions that we take for granted—housing, clothing, food, education, and medical care and shoes—are enabling these children to grow up and make a lasting impact on their own society.

There are two ways to donate your new and gently used shoes to this great cause in Malawi. Send shoes to

Shoes for Life. 1420 NW Lovejoy. #616. Portland, OR 97209

If you are in the Portland/Vancouver Area you may drop off your shoes at the collection bin located at Vancouver Clinic Medical Building 2525 NE 139th St  Suite 220 Vancouver, WA 98686.

First Donation!

Shoes For Life has donated over 60 pairs of shoes to the Imago Dei community. Imago Dei Vancouver will redistribute the shoes to local homeless shelters and families in need.

~S

More exciting news to come soon!