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Samaratin's Feet Program
Letter from Ron Hunter the Head Basketball Coach at IUPUI calling coaches to help him with his charitable program Samaritan Feet
My name is Ron Hunter, Head Basketball Coach at IUPUI (Indiana University, Purdue University at Indianapolis).
Two and half years ago I had the privilege of meeting Emmanuel (Manny) Ohonme. Manny lives in Charlotte, NC and is the founder of Samaritan’s Feet. Six years ago, he left a lucrative marketing and supply chain job to start Samaritan’s Feet (www.samaritansfeet.org), a 501 c3 organization whose goal is to put 10 million pairs of shoes on children’s feet in 10 years around the world.
Manny is originally from Nigeria and grew up very poor. He received his first pair of shoes at the age of 9 from a missionary, who also taught him how to play basketball. These shoes allowed him to run and play without getting hurt and helped him get better at sports, specifically basketball.
He started playing travel basketball during his childhood and eventually played high school basketball in Nigeria. God blessed him with the ability to play basketball at a high level and eventually he earned a scholarship to play at the University of North Dakota - Lake Region.
While in school, Manny received his bachelors and masters degrees. He had a chance to play basketball overseas, but he turned it down to concentrate on his education. After graduation, he spent ten years in the logistics business until God called him to fulfill His plan for his life.
Samaritan’s Feet serves the disadvantaged in over 40 countries around the world and has placed new shoes on the feet of over one and a half million children since 2003. I am excited about what Manny is doing around the world.
When Manny asked me to coach a game in my bare feet to call attention to the plight of the impoverished throughout the world, I agreed. I chose the weekend of Martin Luther King Day to honor my hero by standing for the children around the world who don’t have a voice. There are hundreds of millions of children who don’t have shoes. They suffer from diseases, infection and many other ailments because they don’t have shoes to wear. Needless to say, they can’t play sports without shoes.
In 2008, I set a goal of 40,000 shoes donated to Samaritan’s Feet in honor of the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s death. The response from around the country was both humbling and amazing—over 100,000 new pairs of shoes were collected within six weeks of the game in which I coached barefoot. It is amazing what can happen when we choose to say ‘yes’.
In 2009, I asked my fellow coaches around the country at every level—from youth leagues, junior high, high school, and college teams—to join me in solidarity and call attention to the 300 million people who wake up each day without one pair of shoes.
YOUR response was overwhelming! Hundreds of you across the country said YES to my request, and the result was over ONE MILLION pairs of new shoes donated to Samaritan’s Feet! In addition, thousands of dollars were raised to help ship containers of shoes overseas. One container of 8,000 pairs of shoes costs $10,000.
Since mid-January 2009, your partnership in the barefoot coaching event has helped Samaritan’s Feet transport over one hundred thousand pairs of shoes to impoverished countries throughout the world including Haiti, South Africa, Burundi, Sudan, Nicaragua and Iraq. Moreover, well over 10,000 pairs have been distributed domestically to those in financially-struggling regions of the United States.
I am so grateful for your decision to join me in 2009 and coach a game barefoot for Samaritan’s Feet. Therefore, after much thought and prayer, I am enlisting your help again, requesting that you unite with me in shedding your shoes to coach a game in your bare feet in 2010.
I am asking that you to do two things:
1. Agree to coach at least one (1) game in your bare feet anytime between January through March 2010 to raise awareness of the 300 million people who cannot afford even one pair of shoes to protect their feet from disease or infection.
2. Make phone calls or send out emails and/or letters to four (4) other coaches.
Media Talking Points:
- What’s our goal? To raise one million pairs of shoes for children throughout the world.
- Why you are doing this-“to provide shoes for impoverished children throughout the world through Samaritan’s Feet.”
- Why now? “We picked this time of the year to honor Dr. Martin Lurther King and other leaders who have become a voice for those who have none.”
School Support:
- Promote a “barefoot day” at your school the day of your barefoot coaching game, with students and faculty given the option to attend school shoeless.
- Encourage the other coaches, cheerleaders, students and fans to take off their shoes when they get to the game in support of this event .
- Encourage sports fans to bring shoes to the game and/or support this cause by participating in our text2give initiative.
What others can do:
- Challenge other coaches, CEO's, business owners and everyone in your sphere of influence to go barefoot on the day you are coaching barefoot, to draw awareness to the world’s problem and to raise shoes and funds for those in need.
This year we have made it even easier for your students and basketball fans to show solidarity with you. At your barefoot coaching event, those attending the game will have an opportunity to simply and quickly donate $5 to Samaritan’s Feet without the hassle of credit cards, checks or cash. All they will do is text to the number “85944”, the keyword ‘shoes’. After receiving a confirmation text that they do intend to donate $5 to Samaritan’s Feet, five dollars will be added to their next cell phone bill.
When they pay their cell phone bill in the normal fashion (which will include an additional $5 one-time donation to Samaritan’s Feet), their cell phone company will route the $5 donation directly to Samaritan’s Feet.
Each $5 donation will process, warehouse and transport one pair of new athletic shoes to a child in need. For $5, each of your supporters will change the life of a child.
We have been given an incredible opportunity and platform as coaches to use our status as role models for others and help children in need. Over one million impoverished children were blessed with a pair of shoes because you decided to join other coaches across the country to coach a game barefoot. As more of us stand ‘barefoot’ together, our impact will continue to grow.
To learn more about Samaritan’s Feet, log onto www.samaritansfeet.org. If you are interested, Samaritan’s Feet will come out to conduct a shoe distribution in your community for children in need.
If you are willing to coach a game barefoot in 2010, please contact Samaritan’s Feet Marketing Director, Todd Melloh at 317-417-3525 or tmelloh@samaritansfeet.org. I look forward to hearing from you.
May God continue to bless you and your family.
Sincerely,
Ron Hunter
Head Basketball Coach, IUPUI Founder & President, Samaritan’s Feet
My name is Ron Hunter, Head Basketball Coach at IUPUI (Indiana University, Purdue University at Indianapolis).
Two and half years ago I had the privilege of meeting Emmanuel (Manny) Ohonme. Manny lives in Charlotte, NC and is the founder of Samaritan’s Feet. Six years ago, he left a lucrative marketing and supply chain job to start Samaritan’s Feet (www.samaritansfeet.org), a 501 c3 organization whose goal is to put 10 million pairs of shoes on children’s feet in 10 years around the world.
Manny is originally from Nigeria and grew up very poor. He received his first pair of shoes at the age of 9 from a missionary, who also taught him how to play basketball. These shoes allowed him to run and play without getting hurt and helped him get better at sports, specifically basketball.
He started playing travel basketball during his childhood and eventually played high school basketball in Nigeria. God blessed him with the ability to play basketball at a high level and eventually he earned a scholarship to play at the University of North Dakota - Lake Region.
While in school, Manny received his bachelors and masters degrees. He had a chance to play basketball overseas, but he turned it down to concentrate on his education. After graduation, he spent ten years in the logistics business until God called him to fulfill His plan for his life.
Samaritan’s Feet serves the disadvantaged in over 40 countries around the world and has placed new shoes on the feet of over one and a half million children since 2003. I am excited about what Manny is doing around the world.
When Manny asked me to coach a game in my bare feet to call attention to the plight of the impoverished throughout the world, I agreed. I chose the weekend of Martin Luther King Day to honor my hero by standing for the children around the world who don’t have a voice. There are hundreds of millions of children who don’t have shoes. They suffer from diseases, infection and many other ailments because they don’t have shoes to wear. Needless to say, they can’t play sports without shoes.
In 2008, I set a goal of 40,000 shoes donated to Samaritan’s Feet in honor of the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s death. The response from around the country was both humbling and amazing—over 100,000 new pairs of shoes were collected within six weeks of the game in which I coached barefoot. It is amazing what can happen when we choose to say ‘yes’.
In 2009, I asked my fellow coaches around the country at every level—from youth leagues, junior high, high school, and college teams—to join me in solidarity and call attention to the 300 million people who wake up each day without one pair of shoes.
YOUR response was overwhelming! Hundreds of you across the country said YES to my request, and the result was over ONE MILLION pairs of new shoes donated to Samaritan’s Feet! In addition, thousands of dollars were raised to help ship containers of shoes overseas. One container of 8,000 pairs of shoes costs $10,000.
Since mid-January 2009, your partnership in the barefoot coaching event has helped Samaritan’s Feet transport over one hundred thousand pairs of shoes to impoverished countries throughout the world including Haiti, South Africa, Burundi, Sudan, Nicaragua and Iraq. Moreover, well over 10,000 pairs have been distributed domestically to those in financially-struggling regions of the United States.
I am so grateful for your decision to join me in 2009 and coach a game barefoot for Samaritan’s Feet. Therefore, after much thought and prayer, I am enlisting your help again, requesting that you unite with me in shedding your shoes to coach a game in your bare feet in 2010.
I am asking that you to do two things:
1. Agree to coach at least one (1) game in your bare feet anytime between January through March 2010 to raise awareness of the 300 million people who cannot afford even one pair of shoes to protect their feet from disease or infection.
2. Make phone calls or send out emails and/or letters to four (4) other coaches.
Media Talking Points:
- What’s our goal? To raise one million pairs of shoes for children throughout the world.
- Why you are doing this-“to provide shoes for impoverished children throughout the world through Samaritan’s Feet.”
- Why now? “We picked this time of the year to honor Dr. Martin Lurther King and other leaders who have become a voice for those who have none.”
School Support:
- Promote a “barefoot day” at your school the day of your barefoot coaching game, with students and faculty given the option to attend school shoeless.
- Encourage the other coaches, cheerleaders, students and fans to take off their shoes when they get to the game in support of this event .
- Encourage sports fans to bring shoes to the game and/or support this cause by participating in our text2give initiative.
What others can do:
- Challenge other coaches, CEO's, business owners and everyone in your sphere of influence to go barefoot on the day you are coaching barefoot, to draw awareness to the world’s problem and to raise shoes and funds for those in need.
This year we have made it even easier for your students and basketball fans to show solidarity with you. At your barefoot coaching event, those attending the game will have an opportunity to simply and quickly donate $5 to Samaritan’s Feet without the hassle of credit cards, checks or cash. All they will do is text to the number “85944”, the keyword ‘shoes’. After receiving a confirmation text that they do intend to donate $5 to Samaritan’s Feet, five dollars will be added to their next cell phone bill.
When they pay their cell phone bill in the normal fashion (which will include an additional $5 one-time donation to Samaritan’s Feet), their cell phone company will route the $5 donation directly to Samaritan’s Feet.
Each $5 donation will process, warehouse and transport one pair of new athletic shoes to a child in need. For $5, each of your supporters will change the life of a child.
We have been given an incredible opportunity and platform as coaches to use our status as role models for others and help children in need. Over one million impoverished children were blessed with a pair of shoes because you decided to join other coaches across the country to coach a game barefoot. As more of us stand ‘barefoot’ together, our impact will continue to grow.
To learn more about Samaritan’s Feet, log onto www.samaritansfeet.org. If you are interested, Samaritan’s Feet will come out to conduct a shoe distribution in your community for children in need.
If you are willing to coach a game barefoot in 2010, please contact Samaritan’s Feet Marketing Director, Todd Melloh at 317-417-3525 or tmelloh@samaritansfeet.org. I look forward to hearing from you.
May God continue to bless you and your family.
Sincerely,
Ron Hunter
Head Basketball Coach, IUPUI Founder & President, Samaritan’s Feet
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