Aaron Jahn Coordinator of Campus Ministry at Desales High School here in Louisville thought that having a shoe drive for EDGE Shoes for Water during Catholic School Weeks would be a great idea. Was it ever. The students did many fun things and competitions during those two weeks. One of them was a challenge that Dee Dee Hurt the Shoe Lady gave them, which was to see which class would collect the most shoes. The Junior class collected 225 pairs of shoes, the Freshmen collected 248 pairs, the Seniors brought in 333 pairs. But the winners were the SOPHOMORES!! They surged ahead with 512 pairs of shoes!! Desales grand total was 1,318 pairs of shoes. Thanks so much to Mr. Jahn for coordinating this event. But a huge thanks to the students, staff and families of Desales High School.

Chance School's Roots and Shoots* conducted a shoe drive for EDGE Shoes for Water. Their chapter visited our warehouse on Friday, January 27 and brought with them over 500 pounds of shoes. They took a tour of our facility and then sorted and paired all the shoes they had collected. A big thanks to Sara Cummins and Chance School for helping EDGE!!

*The mission of Roots and Shoots is to foster respect and compassion for all living things, promote understanding of all cultures and beliefs, and inspire each individual to take action to make the world a better place for the environment. Part of Dr. Jane Goodall’s global environmental and humanitarian youth program, the group is comprised of 22 third- through fifth-grade students, who want to learn about and impact the world beyond their textbooks. The group meets after school twice a month and participates in various service projects that benefit both Chance School and the community at large.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Contacts
Jennifer Montgomery, (502) 418-6819
Ali Shaw, (502) 262-8580

Lexington School Partners with EDGE Outreach to Save Lives through Cinderella Production
Collecting shoes helps EDGE save lives around the world with clean water

LOUISVILLE, KY. (January 23, 2012) – Everyone knows the significance that the glass slipper plays in the story of Cinderella, but not everyone is aware of the significance that an old pair of used shoes has on saving human lives with clean water. That’s why Sarah Strohmaier, the new drama teacher Lafayette High School, saw an opportunity to partner with EDGE Outreach, a Louisville-based organization whose mission is to bring clean drinking water to developing communities and disaster environments around the world. The school will be hosting a shoe drive throughout the run of its production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella" from January 26th through January 29th. The collected shoes will be donated to EDGE Outreach who will use the funds from the sale of the shoes to provide safe drinking water purification systems to third world communities and disaster areas worldwide.

“EDGE Outreach first came into my life when a friend of mine went on a mission trip with EDGE to Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic to install water wells,” says Strohmaier. “Last year, the campus ministries group I was involved had a "Shoes for Water" drive, and after having already selected Cinderella, I realized its theme ‘Impossible things are happening every day’ rang especially true for EDGE’s work. Something as simple as a shoe really can change someone's life. Theatre is important for entertainment purposes, but we must use what we have available to help change the world.

General admission tickets to “Cinderella” can be purchased at the door for $10 for adults and $8 for students, or for $12 reserved seating tickets. Children age 5 and under are free! The show times are Thursday, January 26th, Friday January 27th, and Saturday January 28th at 7pm, and Sunday, January 29th at 2pm. Anyone who brings a pair of shoes to donate will receive a coupon for .25 cents off of concessions that evening.

The Shoes for Water Program provides EDGE Outreach with funds to carry out their work to develop, produce and donate water purification systems that can provide 10,000 people with safe drinking water each day. In addition to donating the purification systems, EDGE also works to train, equip, and empower ordinary people around the world to provide safe and sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene solutions in their own communities. When EDGE staff and volunteers travel to a developing community to build training centers and install purification systems, they also teach the local people how to diagnose their water problems, they show them how to operate the purification systems and repair broken hand pumps, and they educate them on effective health and hygiene practices.

To learn more about EDGE and how you can help, call (502) 568-6342 or visit www.edgeoutreach.com.

About Shoes for Water
The Shoes for Water program was established to raise funds to support the mission of EDGE Outreach, and currently 86 cents of every $1 raised goes directly toward EDGE's water projects. Once the schools, churches, businesses and individuals collect the shoes, EDGE uses an exporter to take them into some of the same developing countries that they do water purification projects in. The shoes are then sold to local vendors, which creates a micro-enterprise venture that benefits the economy and provides affordable shoes that protect the new owner's feet and overall health from foot abrasions, parasites and mites. For information on how to get involved contact Dee Dee Hurt, the Shoe Lady, at (502) 751-7104.

About EDGE Outreach
EDGE Outreach, located at 1500 Arlington Avenue in Louisville, KY, is a non-profit organization that trains, equips, and empowers ordinary people around the world to provide safe and sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene solutions in their own communities. Since 2001, EDGE has touched the lives of thousands of people in more than 22 countries, including Haiti, Kenya, India, Dominican Republic, and Costa Rica. The water purification systems that EDGE donates and installs in developing countries and disaster environments save the lives of nearly 400,000 people each year. When EDGE staff and volunteers travel to a developing community to build training centers and install purification systems, they also teach the local people how to diagnose their water problems, they show them how to operate the purification systems and repair broken hand pumps, and they educate them on effective health and hygiene practices. To learn more about EDGE Outreach and how you can help, call (502) 568-6342 or visit www.edgeoutreach.com.

About Lafayette High School

The Mission of Lafayette High School is to promote high academic achievement through respect, responsibility, wellness, and equal opportunity for all students. Lafayette High School is located at 401 Reed Lane in Lexington, KY and can be reached at (859) 381-3474.

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• Gather shoes in any condition and pair them together
• Visit our website to find the shoe drop location nearest you
• EDGE Outreach collects the shoes and sells them to an exporter, keeping them out of landfills
• ALL funds received go toward funding the mission of EDGE — empowering ordinary people to provide clean, safe water around the world.

Little Sandy Correctional Complex in Sandy Hook, Kentucky has been collecting shoes for the last several months and they have collected a van load.  Wes Reece, Jennifer Poe and Dee Dee Hurt, the Shoes for Water Crew, went to Sandy Hook with Paula Holden to pick up the shoes.  A special thanks to Warden Joe Meko and Linda Smith for helping us out.

White Tower Elementary School in Northern Kentucky held a shoe drive for EDGE OUTREACH'S Shoes for Water program.  They ended up collecting over 1,000 pairs of shoes for the cause.  Pastor Mike Chaney of Faith Fellowship Baptist Church in Melbourne, Kentucky was kind to pick them up for us.  Thanks White Tower Elementary and Pastor Mike for all your hard work!!

The staff at the Kort Old Brownsboro Crossing gave the Shoes for Water Crew a very special Christmas tree!! One that is decorated with shoes!! It has a very specical place of honor in the "Shoe Department". Thanks to Kort and all they have done to help collect shoes over the last year!!