Students Touch the Hearts and ‘Soles’ of Peoria’s Homeless
Four Bradley students organized a fundraiser and received more than 1,000 pairs of shoes for Dream Center Peoria.
11/13/2017 8:00 AM
On Saturday, November 11, Running Central hosted an event celebrating the “Walk In My Shoes” campaign brought to Peoria by Bradley University students. The Walk In My Shoes Peoria campaign is a partnership between Running Central and Dream Center Peoria with a goal of raising 378 shoes, one pair for every person who identified as homeless in the Greater Peoria area last year.
Due to the generosity of the Greater Peoria community, this goal was almost tripled with 1,042 pairs of shoes donated through initiatives of the Walk In My Shoes Peoria campaign.
“Homelessness is all around us, it can affect someone you know- your sister, cousin or friend. It’s not just set to one group,“ said Kristy Schofield, Director of Homeless and Housing at Dream Center Peoria. “Shoes are the number one item that is needed in the Hope Store at Dream Center. These donations will have a tremendous impact.”
Attendees enjoyed entertainment by Project 309, a youth development group sponsored by Dream Center Peoria. Brian Uhlenhopp, Director of Development at Dream Center Peoria, and Schofield also gave remarks at the event.
“The need is great- 378 people are homeless every night here in Peoria. We don’t think about that side of the city but it’s there,” said Uhlenhopp. “You can make a difference, you can be a part of it, four people collected over 1,000 shoes, you guys solved the problem for us this year.”
Over 15 local businesses contributed to this campaign and event by donating gift cards and baskets to include in a raffle.
“The community should be very proud of these students and what they accomplished,” said Adam White, co-owner of Running Central/ShaZam Racing. “Their work will touch the hearts and souls of over one-thousand lives in Greater Peoria.”
Photo Credit: Moira Nolan, Bradley University Senior