NEWPORT BEACH, California (December 4, 2015) — If you haven’t worn that pair of shoes for the past year, chances are you aren’t going to take them out of the closet next year either. However, there are literally millions of adults and children living in poverty who would happily slip their cold, bare feet into them rather than have no shoes at all.
Johnson Attorneys Group wants to help you clean out that closet and put shoes onto the feet of the less privileged. Indeed, the Orange County-based personal injury law firm has launched a drive to collect new and used footwear on behalf of the international Soles4Souls anti-poverty organization. The shoes, boots and sandals collected here in the OC will be taken to Soles4Souls who will donate them to people who live in poverty around the world.
“Our law firm has always been committed to helping people, however, this Christmas we are putting not only our heart, but our soles into it,” said Attorney James Johnson.
The law firm has set a lofty goal. Johnson Attorneys Group hopes to collect enough shoes reach from one end of the Huntington Beach pier to the other by December 31st, 2015. The iconic pier is 1,850 feet long so the law firm expects they will need 925 pairs of shoes to fulfill their goal.
“I wanted people to visualize how many shoes we want to collect so I chose the Huntington Beach pier because it’s an OC icon and it’s the longest pier in Southern California,” said Johnson. “So many of us discard perfectly good shoes after Christmas when we get a new pair. We want to help you make room in your closets for the new ones and make good use of the old ones.”
Johnson Attorneys Group will be the official drop off location for Soles4Souls in Orange County. Bring us your new or gently-worn shoes to our new offices at 4440 Von Karman Avenue, Suite 120 in Newport Beach 92660. See below for more details.
The shoes that Johnson Attorneys Group collects will be delivered to Soles4Souls, an international anti-poverty organization that monetizes used shoes and clothing to create sustainable jobs and fund direct relief efforts, including distribution of new shoes and clothing. The company, which was founded in 2006, has distributed more than 22 million pairs of shoes to 127 countries.
“Johnson Attorneys Group supports Soles4Souls because their work exemplifies solid business practices which are in turn used to create positive change in peoples lives,” said Johnson. “Johnson Attorneys Group is a strong supporter of Soles4Souls’anti-poverty mission. We hope our efforts this Christmas will make a big difference in the lives of many people.”
Soles4Souls takes each pair of used shoes collected from the community into a value-added social currency to achieve positive change, both humanitarian and economic. The bulk of these reusable shoes will be distributed to micro-enterprise programs to create jobs in various poor countries including Haiti. The revenue resulting from this will help fund the free distribution of new shoes in the U.S. and overseas. Among its relief programs, the organization has distributed over 200,000 new pairs of shoes to help Philippine victims of Typhoon Haiyan.
The connection between poverty and shoes is well documented. The World Bank estimates that approximately 400 million children worldwide – more than the entire U.S. population – live in pronounced poverty. Millions of these children will grow up never having had a pair of shoes, resulting in significant ramifications for their health and well being. Lacking proper footwear, countless children will not be able or permitted to attend school. And tens of millions of these poverty-stricken, barefoot boys and girls will be infected with soil-transmitted parasitic diseases like hookworm, causing lasting suffering and lifelong debilitation.
“The simple truth is that most of our old shoes will just end up in a landfill,” said Johnson. “Please take the time to give those to us this year, and know that you are taking a step to making the world a better place.”
JOHNSON ATTORNEYS GROUP shoe drive for Soles4Souls
DONATION DATES: December 3, 2015 to December 31, 2015.
HOURS: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday. Closed Christmas Day.
LOCATION: 4440 Von Karman Avenue, Suite 120
PHONE: 949-566-8333
For more information, please contact Susan Schaben at 800-235-6801 ext. 105
Follow us on Twitter for updates on our shoe drive @JagLegalLawFirm or on Facebook.
About Johnson Attorneys Group
Johnson Attorneys Group is a personal injury law firm serving clients who have been injured in a traffic accident, trip and fall, dog bite attack, premise liability or any other circumstances involving negligence. Attorney James Johnson, founder of the law firm, is a trial lawyer and member of the California Bar Association who has recovered millions in settlements and verdicts on behalf of deserving clients. He is also a proud supporter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Orange County and is committed to community service. Our law firm has headquarters in Newport Beach, California and meeting locations in Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside, Victorville, Sacramento and San Francisco. Visit our website at www.jaglegal.com for more information about Mr. Johnson and our legal services.
About Soles4Souls®
Soles4Souls is a global social enterprise committed to fighting the devastating impact and perpetuation of poverty. The organization advances its anti-poverty mission by collecting new and used shoes and clothes from individuals, schools, faith-based institutions, civic organizations and corporate partners, then distributing those shoes and clothes both via direct donations to people in need and by provisioning qualified micro-enterprise programs designed to create jobs in poor and disadvantaged communities. Since it began, Soles4Souls has distributed more than 22 million pairs of shoes in 127 countries. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Soles4Souls is committed to the highest standards of operating and governance, and holds a four-star rating with Charity Navigator. Please visit www.soles4souls.org for more information.
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