October 17, 2016
GREENWOOD, Ind. - The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference has announced a schedule of football contests that will benefit Samaritan's Feet and help provide shoes to impoverished children across the globe. All nine HCAC football squads will host an event for the fourth straight season.
At Bluffton you can support Samaritan's Feet by donating new shoes, or socks, at Chris Gable's Desk in the Sommer Center. We have asked our team to purchase a Samaritan's Feet wristband for $10 to be worn during the Manchester game on Saturday, Oct. 22. If you would like to sponsor one of our players, please give $10 to Chris Gable with the designation of wristband.
Rod Huber, head coach for the Mount St. Joseph University football team, sparked the idea among the conference coaches a few years ago. The conference raised approximately $7,000 dollars during each of the 2013 and 2014 fundraising events. As a result of those efforts, every single child at Padua Academy in Indianapolis was supplied with a brand new pair of shoes and socks the past two years.
After Coach Huber visited Africa on a mission trip, he was motivated to find a way to give back in a meaningful way by helping get shoes to children in need. For the fourth straight year, Huber and his fellow head coaches in the HCAC will show their support in this effort.
"In my 30 years of coaching football, serving as an ambassador for a Samaritan's Feet shoe distribution alongside my fellow HCAC coaches and all-conference team members is one of the most rewarding projects I have ever done," Huber said. "The look on the children's faces when the players wash their feet and put on a new pair of socks and shoes is priceless," added Huber.
Each HCAC school has scheduled a game during the 2016 season to raise awareness and funds. During a Barefoot Game, Samaritan's Feet is highlighted in various ways. Often coaches elect to go through the game without wearing shoes in order to garner attention towards the 300 million people that go without shoes every day.
"I am very excited about this project and our conferences continued work with Samaritan Feet," stated HCAC Commissioner Christopher Ragsdale. "In Division III we are committed to the development of our student-athlete's through a comprehensive educational approach; this approach includes our commitment to the development of future responsible leaders and citizens in our communities. As such it is incumbent upon us to provide whenever possible experiences that serve to increase the awareness of the need for strong positive leadership and the need to make a difference in today's world."
The HCAC plans to hold another shoe distribution in Indianapolis at the conclusion of the football season with members from the All-HCAC football team present. More details will be released at a later date.
"The partnership between Samaritan's Feet and the HCAC over the past two years has proven we can harness the power of sports for greater good," stated Manny Ohonme, Founder, President, and CEO of Samaritan's Feet. "Coaches and staff going barefoot to raise awareness and athletes serving children shows how teams can work together to inspire hope in the lives of others. We're thankful to Commissioner Ragsdale of the HCAC and all the coaches for their servant hearts and leadership in embracing Samaritan's Feet Shoes of Hope platform to draw awareness to the plight of barefoot children globally, while activating hands-on service engagement to deliver shoes and encouragement to children in need in their community and around the world," added Ohonme.
Samaritan's Feet is a 501(c)(3) humanitarian aid organization that shares a message of hope and love through washing the feet of impoverished children around the world and adorning them with new shoes. There are an estimated 2.2 billion people worldwide living in poverty and more than 1.5 billion who suffer from foot borne diseases. Since its founding by Manny Ohonme in 2003, Samaritan's Feet and its team of ambassadors and partners have blessed more than five million children in more than 70 nations. They also have partnerships with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and SAAC (Student Athlete Advisory Committee).
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