Sneaker Update

ORIGINAL POST OCTOBER 8: Do you remember the sneaker collection campaign being conducted by the Morrisville High School National Honor Society students? NBC10 stopped back to see how they did.

They reached their goal of 600 pairs of sneakers. Signed. Sealed. Delivered. Congratulations to everyone.

UPDATED OCTOBER 15: Now with video link from WBIR in Knoxville, TN.

Students Collect Sneakers For Needy Overseas
Shoes Will Be Refurbished, Sold To Help Family In Ghana

POSTED: 4:22 pm EDT October 7, 2008
UPDATED: 4:47 pm EDT October 7, 2008

Those old sneakers stuffed in the back of the closet may seem worthless, but students at a Bucks County high school recently asked people not to simply throw the shoes in the trash.

Instead, the students collected the shoes, and shipped them overseas to Ghana, where the sneakers will help a needy family.

During the past month, students at Morrisville High School gathered hundreds of pairs of sneakers from donors, all while learning about Ghana, located in West Africa.

"We got a lot more than we expected," junior Amanda Graf said, standing amidt trash bags stuffed with sneakers.

The shoes will be refurbished and sold in villages, said Elizabeth Glaum-Lathbury, a teacher at Morrisville.

"The money from the sneakers provides funding for … a pretty large family," Glaum-Lathbury said, "and provides them with bikes, bees, rabbits, trees, a water pump, everything they need to become self-sustaining and sufficient."

It takes about 600 pairs of shoes to raise enough money to start a family farm, the teacher said.

It's like pretty much all of us helping just one family rather than everybody else," said senior Chad Demi. "We actually know who the stuff is going to instead of just random people."

Henry Cox picked up the shoe the students had collected and will ship them to Ghana.

"I think it's really great that the youth of our time is not only looking out for themselves," Cox said, "but they're looking out for other people in different countries."