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Area residents are invited to support a shoe drive to raise funds for the 2024 Balloons Over Rockbridge Hot Air Balloon and Music Festival. Donations of gently worn, used and new shoes will be accepted Feb. 5-April 5.
Shoes may be dropped off at Hamric & Sheridan Jewelers, Vinyl Cuts, YMCA, Lexington Rockbridge Chamber of Commerce, Lexington Animal Hospital, and post offices in Fairfield, Rockbridge Baths and Brownsburg.
All donated shoes will be redistributed to microenterprise partners through Funds2Orgs, a for-profit social enterprise, and used in developing nations for impoverished people to start their own businesses.
In the U.S. alone, over 600 million pairs of shoes are thrown away per year. The materials used to manufacture a pair of shoes are created from chemical compounds that will create health hazards if left to disintegrate openly or in landfills. “By donating your gently worn, used and new shoes to Balloons Over Rockbridge, your shoes are given a second chance to make a difference,” said a spokesperson The amount of money raised is determined by the total weight of the shoes collected.
Balloons Over Rockbridge is a 501(c)3 nonprofit community group created to bring hot-air balloons to Rockbridge County for the enjoyment of the whole community and to help raise funds and awareness for local charities and nonprofit organizations through its annual July Hot Air Balloon Festival. The event is a major fundraiser for two or three selected local charities each year.
