Amata Office Centers, a Chicago-based office space provider, is collaborating with the Israel Idonije Foundation (IIF) and Share Your Soles to collect shoes to benefit underprivileged children and families throughout Africa. Amata has placed purple donation bins at each of their locations in downtown Chicago, as well as the CityGate Centre in Naperville, IL. Both tenants and non-tenants are encouraged to participate by contributing athletic shoes, flats, and sandals to the collection bins placed in each lobby.
The Israel Idonije Foundation was developed in 2008 by the Chicago Bears’ Defensive Tackle, Israel Idonije, and began the C.A.R.E. (Caring, Advancing, Restoring, and Educating) Africa project later that same year. This program’s objective is specifically directed to providing medical and healthcare services, clean water, and physical education programs to underprivileged residents in Idonije’s hometown of Nigeria. During a recent visit, IIF workers noticed that many of the Nigerian children had to walk hours on dirt roads with no shoes just to participate in these programs. It was for this reason that IIF, in conjunction with Chicago-based non-profit organization Share Your Soles®, began collecting gently worn shoes in order to distribute to children and families in need throughout Africa.
When preparations began for IIF’s third annual trip March 19th-29th, searching for drop-off locations seemed obvious to IIF’s Executive Director Natalie Boe. “Amata is an avid supporter of the Foundation and works to support all of its clients’ efforts,” says Boe, who works out of Amata’s 150 N. Michigan Ave center. “We knew Amata would help us with our program and utilize their network to garner additional support for economically disadvantaged children and families”.
When Boe approached Amata’s CEO Ron Bockstahler about helping the Foundation’s efforts, the decision was immediate. “There wasn’t a moment’s hesitation. With the number of clients and visitors coming into the Amata Office Centers on a daily basis, I knew it would gain an exponential amount of support for the Israel Idonije Foundation,” Mr. Bockstahler said.
According to Share Your Soles® founder Mona Purdy, there is a growing need to provide shoes for people in Africa to attain basic necessities since it is their primary form of transportation and they are often barefoot. Share Your Soles® will assist with the collection, sanitation, and packaging to ship the shoes to the rural villages in Africa. The shoe drive at the Amata Office Centers will run through February 22nd.
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