18 • Spurs & Feathers
March 19, 2014
‘Being the Change’ at the SEC Tournament by mike kucharski mike@spursandfeathers.com
14 media guide. For that purpose, innersole, a 501 (c) (3) charitable organization was founded by South Carolina women’s basketball head Staley. The organization takes donations coach Dawn Staley has used the slogan of new sneakers and provides them to “Be the Change” as a motto for her team children who are homeless or who are in all season long and she continues to be need. an example of that even during the SEC “It is just an extension of ‘Be the Tournament. Change.’ Innersole is an organization that “Be the Change” refers to those in and I and a couple of my friends decided that around the program becoming the change we want somebody to benefit from having that one would want to see in the world a new pair of sneakers. I know what I felt and challenged “the program and its fans like when I got new sneakers. Obviously to commit 50,000 random acts of kindness the homeless child or the child that’s in this season in order to ‘Be the Change’ in need needs a pair of sneakers. We want to the world around them” according to the provide that and the outpour of support South Carolina women’s basketball 2013- with the shoe collections and giveaway
has been remarkable and we want to continue sharing the love,” Staley said. The organization’s website says “Innersole is a sole movement. A movement that effectively changes the negative impact of poverty on our children. A sole movement that allows a common bond of compassion and humanity uniting us by the gift of giving new sneakers and the responsibility of shaping and enduring imprint.” Even during one of the most pressurepacked times of South Carolina’s unprecedentedly successful basketball season, Staley does not forget to “Be the Change.” On Saturday, March 8 and Sunday, March 9 at the 2014 SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament in Duluth, Ga., innersole
partnered with a Girls Scouts of Greater Atlanta community initiative, Scouting for Shoes, to hold a shoe collection at the Arena at Gwinnett Center during the tournament. All gently worn shoes went to the Scouting for Shoes initiative and all new shoes donated went to innersole to help provide shoes for someone in need. Each donor received a SEC lapel pin and an innersole t-shirt. Staley said that the support has been great, but the project is ongoing and there is always a need to help children. To learn more about innersole, go to: http://www. innersole.org/innersole.html or follow on Twitter as @innersoleorg.