Walkersville Elementary School

I always feel like the most appropriate, yet most accurate title possible would be : Update. Unfortunately it is ALSO the most BORING title idea ever!
However, regardless of WHAT I title the post, today it is exciting news!
After several emails back and forth, I have received permission to involve the students at Walkersville Elementary School in the project!! As long as the faculty has no objections we will be collecting shoes at the school through the month of October! This is such a great opportunity to collect more shoes AND involve the children in our community. The details are not yet finely tuned, but If allowed I would love to offer an incentive to the students an incentive. Maybe an ice cream party with ice cream sandwiches or something like that for the either the highest collections per grade or maybe the top 3 classes in the school.
Thanks so much Walkersville Elementary School!! You guys are FANTASTIC!!

Donation Boxes

I have a goal for this week. I want to work on decorating the donation boxes. I got the go ahead from my boss at work to bring in a box to put in the foyer where people downtown can bring shoes and socks to donate.  It is awesome because there is a nice big foyer so we dont have to worry about weather or bringing the box in in the evenings, etc!
I mean, as of right now this isn't huge news. Its really just a baby step, but a step nonetheless. 

Taking Off

     Its been WAY to long since I have written anything about the project. The thing is that I dont have any sort of good excuse. I had some really great news last year, and I was kindof trying to get the ball rolling before I mentioned it. Instead I did the opposite and fell off the wagon for awhile. No excuse really, I just got busy with life. Ive been occupied with things like getting my daughter to on and off of the school bus on time, making sure to squeeze everything into my day that needs to be finished, the mundane tasks of laundry and toilet scrubbing. Isnt it amazing how those small things can quickly fill up the day? And what is more amazing is the way that the bigger things can be put off and put off for another day when there is more time.
     Anyway, I was contacted by a woman named Mary Kate McKenna Battles last fall. This wonderful friend wanted to bring me some socks that she and her husband had bought for the collection for the kids. MK and I got together and she asked if she could help me out a little. She is involved with the AFF-GF, American Advertizing Federation of Greater Frederick. This group of Advertizing and Marketing professiolas work on charities and wanted to help out with the Toasty Tootsies project!
     Now, about a year later after a lot of shoe collecting, many meetings with MK, and logistical planning, we have made a lot of progress! We have a point of contact in Afghanistan whom we can send the shoes to, the shoes, and now we are working on planning the shipping and ways to collect more shoes. We are getting a web site up and running soon too! It is so exciting to see the progress that has been made, despite the hiatus that Ive taken!
     Hopefully we will have much much more in the next few months, and in the meantime, I will try to keep this blog updated!