Eastern Kentucky University’s baseball team will serve approximately 250 local children grades K-5 by washing their feet and giving them a new pair of shoes on Monday. The event is part of the National Day of Service campaign by Samaritan’s Feet.
The event will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Auxiliary Gym inside Alumni Coliseum on the EKU campus.
Three special guests are scheduled to attend the event: Jeanean Hampton, Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky; Thomas Massie, United States Representative for Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District; and Dr. Gary French, Pastor and Founder of Life Renewed Ministries.
This is the second year the Colonel baseball team has held this event. Last year more than 150 local children received a new pair of shoes.
During this National Day of Service campaign, Samaritan’s Feet will serve over 11,000 individuals in 22 cities and 14 states, mobilizing approximately 2,000 volunteers around the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in 2018.
The event in Richmond is funded by EKU Head Baseball Coach Edwin Thompson’s barefoot coach fundraising efforts and a grant from Walmart for the state of Kentucky. The entire Samaritan’s Feet National Day of Service campaign is funded through a three-year grant that Samaritan’s Feet received from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency that leads the nation’s volunteering and civic engagement efforts, and Sanford Health who matched the grant.
“We anticipate that this joyful spirit of doing for others will be contagious and spread far beyond our events in January,” said Manny Ohonme, CEO and Co-Founder of Samaritan’s Feet. “We hope that these events inspire a movement of generosity and kindness in our nation in 2018.”
This special day of service allows the community to come together, leverage the strength of local citizens, and advance Dr. King’s dream of opportunity for all.
To continue to raise money and awareness for Samaritan’s Feet, Thompson will coach barefoot against East Tennessee State on April 10. Thompson is the only known college baseball coach to coach a game barefoot to support Samaritan’s Feet’s efforts.
For more information on these events, visit SamaritansFeet.org/Together.
The Colonels are scheduled to open their 2018 season on Feb. 16 at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
About Samaritan’s Feet International
Samaritan’s Feet is a 501(c)(3) humanitarian aid organization that serves and inspires hope in children by providing shoes as the foundation to a spiritual and healthy life resulting in the advancement of education and economic opportunities. The goal of Samaritan’s Feet is to create a world with zero shoeless children. Since its founding by Manny and Tracie Ohonme in 2003, Samaritan’s Feet and its partners have served more than 6.5 million people in 90 nations. For more information about Samaritan’s Feet International, visit www.SamaritansFeet.org.
About the Corporation for National and Community Service
The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that leads the annual MLK Day of Service, working with the King Center in Atlanta and thousands of nonprofit groups, faith-based organizations, schools, and businesses nationwide. For further information about the MLK Day of Service and what’s taking place across the country, visit MLKDay.gov.
About Sanford Health
Sanford Health is one of the largest health care systems in the nation, with 44 hospitals and nearly 300 clinics in nine states and four countries. Sanford Health is dedicated to several initiatives, including global clinics, genomic medicine and specialized centers researching cures for type 1 diabetes, breast cancer and other diseases. Nearly $1 billion in gifts from philanthropist Denny Sanford over the past decade have transformed how Sanford Health can improve the human condition. For information, visit sanfordhealth.org.
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Assistant Athletics Director for Communications & Branding
