Do you have any used shoes that are still in good condition? Do you not wear them any more? Do you want to help people, our community, or the environment? If you said yes to any these questions, you are in luck.

Girls On The Run (GOTR) is hosting its annual shoe drive!  This year will mark their 6th year hosting the drive, and GOTR is hoping to collect more than ever this year.

GOTR is a non-profit organization whose philosophy is to empower girls ages 9 to 14. The organization’s goal is to help girls develop self-respect and healthy lifestyles through activities, runs, and interactive lessons. Girls On The Run Pocono was founded 2002 and has been a vital asset to the community, helping over 6,000 girls in our area.

“Every year we exceed the previous year’s totals,” said Ms. Kimberlee Zateeny (Community Outreach & Development Director) “This past year we collected over 11,000 pounds of shoes and look to break that record this year.”

They can’t achieve this without the help of the community. That is why Environmental Club is helping GOTR with its shoe drive for the second year in a row. Last year, with the help of the school, they collected an enormous number of shoes.

This shoe drive should empower the girls to help others.  In fact, for every pound of shoes, GOTR Pocono will get paid. With all that money raised, they will be able to give scholarships to any girl who cannot afford to participate in their program.  

The coordinators are committed to helping every single girl who wants to join.

“We will never turn a girl away from the program,” Zateeny said.

GOTR also donates a percentage of the shoes to third world countries, providing shoes for people who have none. It should be mentioned that this approach is helping the environment, as well.

“By donating these shoes, we are decreasing our carbon footprint by recycling and reusing, rather than buying new shoes,” said senior Sydney Runkel, Environmental Club treasurer. “We are keeping these shoes out of the many landfills hurting our environment.”

Donation bins have been placed in the SHS main entrance and will be there until November 8. Feel free to donate, and if you are an Environmental Club member, you can get points for your donation by showing proof of the donation to Ms. West. GOTR also has 20 drop-off locations besides Stroudsburg High School. They are throughout Monroe and Northampton Counties.  All of these locations can be found on their website: 

www.gotrpocono.org. 

So, please, donate to this amazing cause if you can, and help make a difference in many peoples lives around the world.