Barefoot Boy Now Inspires Hope And Gives Shoes To Millions Of Needy Children Worldwide

Feb. 25, 2010 - PRLog -- (Charlotte, NC) – Three decades ago, on a hot summer afternoon in Lagos, Nigeria, a stranger from Wisconsin befriended a nine-year-old African boy by giving him a pair of tennis shoes—the first pair of shoes he had ever owned. It was a life-changing moment. Young Manny Ohonme began to pursue sports and came to the United States on a basketball scholarship, eventually earning a Master’s degree in business from North Dakota State University. Today, Manny is repaying that gift, providing millions of pairs of shoes each year to needy children worldwide through his organization, Samaritan’s Feet (www.samaritansfeet.org). Their goal is to provide 10 million pairs of shoes for 10 million impoverished people in 10 years.  To date, nearly 3 million pairs of shoes for children around the world have been collected.  

This dramatic story is told in an acclaimed new book, “Sole Purpose” (LifeBridge Books.
ISBN-978-0-9824145-9-0). It chronicles how that one gift not only transformed a life, but
also has resulted in major shoe distributions in Africa, Asia, South America, Haiti, and to
underprivileged children in the Unites States.  

Governors such as Mitch Daniels of Indiana have conducted state business in their bare
feet to bring attention to the cause. Major media networks feature NCAA basketball
coaches who are guiding their teams barefoot to help raise awareness. The NBA Detroit
Pistons recently teamed with the organization for a shoe distribution—which includes
washing the feet of the needy children to whom shoes are given.

Says Ernie Johnson, host of NBA on TNT, “This book is an unforgettable journey of
obedience that is changing millions of lives.”

In the words of the author, “I wrote Sole Purpose to show what can happen when people
are willing to humble themselves as servant so that others might know the opportunity of
a better life.”

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To schedule Manny Ohonme for interviews, contact media coordinator Davida Serrani,  
704-746-4460.

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Samaritan’s Feet is a non-profit organization dedicated to changing lives though Shoes of Hope distributions around the world. 300 million people wake up each morning without a pair of shoes to protect their feet from injury and disease. The goal of Samaritan’s Feet is to provide shoes to 10 million of these individuals in the next 10 years by teaching them a biblical story of faith, hope, and love, demonstrating those truths in touching them by washing their feet, and treating them to a new pair of shoes and socks.