Mike Ryan Jr. of Leetsdale never thought he'd be president at age 18.
Trying to come up with an idea for his International Baccalaureate community service project at Quaker Valley High School, Ryan wasn't really thinking about forming a nonprofit. He wanted to collect Wholesale Underwear Clothings about 1,000 pairs of shoes to give to the needy and be done with the project.
Instead, he and his father, Mike Ryan Sr., formed Soles to Heal Inc., which is on its way to becoming a tax-exempt nonprofit organization. Ryan Jr. is president of Soles to Heal and Ryan Sr. is vice president.
More than 40 volunteers are collecting and picking up shoes and providing professional services such as legal, accounting and administration help.
"Having a warm pair of shoes -- more specifically a warm pair of boots -- is a great way to help (people) cope better on those bitterly cold days and nights," Ryan Sr. said.
Once Ryan Jr. and his father started talking to schools, businesses and community members, they got the feeling they could turn the effort into something larger than a senior project.
They've already contacted 189 Western Pennsylvania high schools and colleges along with homeless and women's shelters, shoe companies, businesses, libraries and churches to get them involved.
They continue to set up drop-off locations, have secured donations of thousands of boxes, are in the process of securing a 5,000-square-foot warehouse in the Sewickley area to store shoes, set up a Web site and established a board of directors consisting of volunteer attorneys, accountants and representatives from the nonprofit and business sectors.
Franck Muller Replica WatchesBy April, the father-son team expects to collect more than 50,000 pairs of shoes.
Eventually, they would like to see the project expand into Third World countries, but for now, father and son are staying local.
The first bag of shoes Ryan Jr. received was from his environmental science teacher at Quaker Valley, and he said before distribution, every pair of gently worn shoes will be cleaned with environmentally friendly products.
embroidered patches
The first beneficiaries will be Pittsburgh inner-city children and people at homeless and women's shelters. Ryan Jr. also wants Soles to Heal to be involved with disaster relief.
From there, the next step is to expand throughout Pennsylvania, then through the tri-state area and beyond.
The Ryans hope students choose to collect shoes for Soles to Heal for their senior or community service projects. In the future, Soles to Heal will provide these students with certificates of recognition for their efforts to show to potential employers.
The two Mikes are optimistic they someday will be able to award scholarships to high school students through the organization.
"The exciting part of what we are doing is that it not only gives shoes to those in need, but also we are already seeing how it is bringing communities and people together, Ryan Sr. said. "The passion of those helping is very humbling to us."
How to help
Gently used shoes for Soles to Heal can be dropped off at the Sewickley Public Library, Quaker Valley High School and Sewickley Valley YMCA. For more information, v
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