Gotta Have Sole Pairs with PawSox for Fundraiser
Monday, July 18, 2011
It's the perfect way to enjoy a summer night and support a creative, youth-driven cause.
Play Ball! is a night out at the PawSox on Thursday, August 18, with proceeds going to Gotta Have Sole Foundation, the non-profit started by Cranston teen Nicholas Lowinger.
Lowinger (below, with a Gotta Have Sole client), a student at Providence's Wheeler School, founded Gotta Have Sole with the goal of collecting and distributing new shoes to kids in local shelters. What began as a mitzvah in his community has turned into a vibrant organization: at last count, Gotta Have Sole has given more than 800 kids brand-now footwear to call their own. Gotta Have Sole has added more shelters in Rhode Island, and has branched out into Washington, DC, and Massachusetts. By summer's end the plan is to be up and running in New York and New Jersey as well.
Getting national attention
Lowinger's philanthropy even caught the eye of USA Today, which profiled the teen last week, highlighting both his work with GHSF as well as a service project he's developing this summer to commemorate the 10th anniversary of
9/11 (a footwear drive throughout the state, at schools, religious organizations and businesses, with the goal of sending necessary footwear to an organization in NY that serves families of first responders).
Every ticket purchased for the PawSox game on August 18 via Gotta Have Sole will generate a $3.50 donation to the organization. "For every two tickets sold," says Lowinger, "that's a new pair of shoes." GHSF will also use funds to purchase bins for collecting shoes for the upcoming shoe drive.
Tickets need to be purchased via email or mail by August 12, and supporters will be able to pick up their tickets at a special table at the game. To purchase a ticket, (general admission, blue seats, berm, or bleachers) send a check made out to the PawSox for $7 per person to Gotta Have Sole Foundation, 39 East Bel Air Road, Cranston, RI, 02920. For more information, email [email protected].
For more information about how to participate in Gotta Have Sole's September shoe drive, email [email protected]
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