This year’s Polar Barefoot Run, the first one ever, was a great time of fun, competition, laughter… and running without shoes in 30-degree weather. The “Polar” part certainly came true!

Thank you to everyone who supported this fundraiser. Because of you, we raised over $12,000! That means that 1,200 people will have shoes on their feet and encouraged smiles on their faces. What a beautiful picture. Seth Crawford, a UNC student and the event organizer, is off to Haiti in a few weeks to help us distribute some of those shoes!

Thank you to Ashley and Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated for making this event possible.

Enjoy a few photos from that morning:

Click here to see more photos from this awesome event.

The Barefoot Coach
Posted: Monday, Jan 2nd, 2012
By Ken Curley, The Brookings Register

Coach honored for his work in Haiti, Africa with Samaritan’s Feet

Scott Nagy is among the best at what he does. He just notched his 300th victory as head coach of the South Dakota State University basketball team – the all-time leader in men’s basketball coaching victories at SDSU. He has been chosen for conference Coach of the Year honors no fewer than five times. SDSU has claimed four conference championships under his direction.

For 17 seasons, Nagy’s been known as the spokesman for Jackrabbit basketball.

He’s also become known as the barefoot coach.

This year, on Jan. 9, Nagy will step out of his coaching shoes once again when he becomes the recipient of the Dorothy & Eugene T. Butler Human Rights Award.

The SDSU coach is the 2011 selection of the City of Brookings and its Human Rights Committee, and he’ll be honored on that date at an open house and award ceremony at the Brookings library.

Nagy is being recognized for his work with Samaritan’s Feet, a Charlotte, N.C.-based charity whose goal is to put 10 million pairs of shoes on the feet of 10 million orphans and impoverished children around the world.

Once a year for the last three years, Nagy has coached a game barefoot to draw attention to Samaritan’s Feet. Since 2009, he has raised thousands of dollars and collected thousands of pairs of new and gently used shoes for kids in Haiti and in Africa.

Nagy wasn’t the first shoeless coach around, and he isn’t the only one now. More than 300 coaches across the country are involved with Samaritan’s Feet. The SDSU chief says he first saw IUPUI’s Ron Hunter (now at Georgia State) coach a game shoeless in 2008, and “there were several other coaches in the league who were doing it.”

“The charity just matched up well with our lives,” Nagy explains, speaking for himself and his wife, Jamie.

Though he began to raise funds for Samaritan’s Feet in 2009, it was in 2010 – after the earthquake that ravaged Haiti – that Nagy became a full-fledged partner in the mission.

Scott and Jamie Nagy had four children of their own when they adopted their fifth, Naika, as a 2 1/2-year-old. Her home country is Haiti.

Both the Nagys were adopted as children – Jamie as a newborn and Scott as a teen –“and we had talked about (adoption) for a long time, even before we were done having our own kids.

“I just know that we both had a desire to do it,” Nagy recalls. “On my own, I wouldn’t have, so I know that God placed it in my heart.”

God had a plan for Naika, too, Nagy says.

Naika’s birth mother was still living, but she was unable to feed the child and placed her in an orphanage.

Nagy knows that the mother survived the earthquake, but he has no information of her whereabouts or about the status of her other children, Naika’s siblings.

The high-profile South Dakota coach understood that his bare feet could raise awareness of the grinding poverty in Haiti: “It was definitely not a publicity stunt. But it was a good way to support Haiti, and I wanted my daughter to know that her parents would do whatever they could for her country, that they were not leaving Haiti behind.”

Close to home

In Brookings, the 2010 earthquake hit close to home. Naika, who came from an area near the epicenter of the quake, understood that something terrible had happened, and Nagy says he found it difficult to discuss it with her.

“She’s very intelligent,” Nagy said at the time. “She doesn’t say a lot, but I know it’s heavy on her heart. … At first she thought everybody was dead in Haiti.”

In Nagy’s first year as a shoeless coach, “we raised a lot of money and collected something like 2,000 pairs of shoes.”

Times have changed since then. For one thing, says Nagy, “it’s easier to raise money than to store and ship shoes,” so he’s de-emphasized the shoe collection aspect of his mission.

“I still have people bringing me shoes almost daily,” he says, and he gratefully accepts them. But now, instead of shipping them to Samaritan’s Feet, he turns them over to a Sioux Falls charitable group organized to send shoes to Haiti.

The emphasis has changed to raising cash, not because it’s easier but because “Samaritan’s Feet has its own shoe factory,” Nagy explains, “and they can make a pair for about $5.”

His cash collections have brought in $5,000 and $6,000 over the past few years, and in 2012, Nagy has his sights set on collecting more than $10,000 for Samaritan’s Feet.

Building organization

Several years of exposure have helped Nagy build a “shoeless” organization. Area high school coaches have signed on to the project, and community and regional organizations are starting to line up as sponsors. Sanford Health, for example, gave Nagy $2,500 last year.

And Nagy’s efforts are no longer confined to Haiti. In late July, he accompanied Samaritan’s Feet founder Manny Ohonme to Zimbabwe, where they not only put up steel shelters for rural schools, but Nagy conducted basketball clinics for kids in the capital city of Harare.

The trip was funded in part by Nagy’s home church, Brookings Wesleyan.

“The school buildings were basically wooden shacks with dirt floors,” Nagy reported in his blog from Harare.

During the eight-day visit, the Samaritan’s Feet team put up the buildings but weren’t able to pass out shoes – that part of the mission was held up by government red tape. The shoes ultimately found their way to the youngsters.

Nagy said some of the kids who came to his basketball camp were shoeless – and they worked out for three hours, barefoot, on the hot concrete courts.

A scheduled safari was also a casualty on his Zimbabwe trip, but Nagy was philosophical about it. “I was disappointed, but I figure I can go to the zoo in Sioux Falls if I need to see animals.”

Barefoot again

Nagy and his coaching staff will be barefoot at courtside once again on Jan. 14 when the Jackrabbits host University of Missouri-KC.

“This will be a whole big weekend for us,” says Nagy, whose Jackrabbits also take on the University of South Dakota on the 12th.

That Sunday, the 15th, the coach will take part in a day of service with Samaritan’s Feet in Sioux Falls, washing people’s feet and giving away 300 to 400 pair of shoes.

Nagy is a modest man, and though he’s about to receive a human rights award for his work, he doesn’t wear the “humanitarian” label well.

“Humanitarian?” he says. “It makes me laugh when I hear that. Probably the people closest to me would not consider me a humanitarian, and my basketball players would certainly not consider me a humanitarian!”

To hear him tell it, his charitable work is “not that big a deal, really.” And he doesn’t want publicity, even though he grudgingly cooperates to get more attention for the program.

“That’s not why I do it,” he says.

“If anyone has been helped, it’s been worthwhile. If there’s any kid, because of Samaritan’s Feet, who knows there’s somebody who cares about them, it’s worthwhile.”

“But,” he adds, “any time you help others, you get changed more than the people you help do.”

A reception an open house will be held from 5:30-7 p.m. Jan. 9 at the Brookings Public Library. The human rights award presentation will take place at 6.

Source: The Brookings Register

Andy Katz ESPN Blog:

Georgia State Taking the Right Steps

Ron Hunter will always be known as the barefoot coach, the one coach who decided to draw attention to a cause on his own rather than be a contributor or worse simply a bystander.

There shouldn’t have been any doubt about his coaching ability, though.

He consistently had IUPUI as a contender in the Summit League or at the very least a pest to put out.

But he may be on the verge of doing something more noteworthy on the court.

Hunter has Georgia State atop the Colonial Athletic Association standings in his first season after knocking off two of the top three favorites to start this week — Drexel and at VCU — with a third on tap Saturday when the Panthers go to George Mason.

“This is my 25th year in coaching and I’ve never had this much fun,” said Hunter. “There were low expectations and this has been an incredible ride. I’ve been to the NCAA tournament. None of these kids were recruited by me. We walked in and accepted each other. No one expected this.”

Hunter is known nationally for drawing attention to an organization called Samaritan’s Feet. He started a trend by coaching barefoot and other coaches have caught on during Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. He has helped raise hundreds of thousands of shoes to be put on the feet of impoverished or disenfranchised children in the United States, Africa and South America.

Hunter will take his team to Africa this summer, just like he took IUPUI so they could experience the unmatched joy of seeing a child receive something that is such a basic necessity. His players at IUPUI bought into Hunter early and saw his genuine passion for his cause. It translated into their efforts on the court.

Hunter hasn’t had to take this team abroad yet for them to believe in him.

The Panthers lost the first three games of the season at a tournament at Washington, including opening up with a loss to the Huskies.

Georgia State hasn’t lost since falling to UW, Portland and Florida Atlantic Nov. 12-14. That means the Panthers have won 11 in a row and have a 3-0 start (they played William & Mary in early December) in the widely respected CAA.

This same collection of players finished 12-19 under Rod Barnes a year ago.

“We had a bunch of older kids that had never won in their life, the program hadn’t won,” Hunter said. “But I thought we could win right now. But I had to fit what I wanted to do with these kids and once I realized that we haven’t lost since.”

Hunter said he came into the season assuming he could play the same pressing, matchup zone system he had in the previous 17 years.

But it didn’t work.

“I got back to the hotel at Washington and realized no one was having any fun,” Hunter said. “So I brought in music to practice to relax the kids. It was like we were coaching in a morgue when we started. Everyone was depressed. I had to lighten up the mood. Since then everything has changed. There is a swagger about this group. They think they’re pretty good now.”

Hunter credits Barnes with instilling the desire to defend. Barnes, now the head coach at Cal State Bakersfield, was a defensive-minded coach when he was at Ole Miss, too.

“I didn’t take over a bad team,” Hunter said. “There are older kids like St. John’s last season but they didn’t know how to win.”

Two of the top three scorers –Jihad Ali and Eric Buckner — are seniors with the leading scorer being sophomore Devonta White.

“They keep you off with their pressure and zone,” Drexel coach Bruiser Flint said. “They’re an older team with guys who have been around. Ron is doing a good job with those guys.”

Georgia State still has to get through GMU. The schedule actually has one break in that the Panthers get Old Dominion at home instead of going on the road. Still, it’s a little early to start printing title T-shirts.

“Most people recognize me for the shoe thing but we won games at IUPUI,” said Hunter, who will go barefoot Jan. 12 against UNC-Wilmington. “We were picked near the bottom. But we’re loving this. I’m coaching with a chip on my shoulder. This team is playing like that.”

Source: ESPN

Join SAFE College Funding & Palmetto Grill in bringing hope to the lives of children around the world by supporting Samaritan’s Feet.

This event is a great opportunity to give back while enjoying the night out with friends, neighbors, family, or your business team. For more info and to RSVP visit www.safecollegefunding.org.

December 31, 2011
7:00 P.M. to 12:30 A.M.
Palmetto Grill & Bakery located in Mint Hill, NC

Admission: $55 person
Includes: 3-course dinner, toast, DJ, charity auction, door prizes, and more!

Please join us on January 14th at Freedom Park in Charlotte. Our goal is to have 300 people participate and raise $300 each! We will impact 10,000 children in Haiti. You might even have a chance to join us to distribute the shoes!

Read more here about Seth Crawford, the event organizer who is devoted to changing the lives of children in Haiti.

The first step is to register. Do it today! DETAILS >>

Blacklion continues to be a dear friend and supporter of Samaritan’s Feet as they launch their annual Samaritan’s Feet Giving Tree in all Charlotte, NC area stores. Customers will have an opportunity to donate from $1 to $100 by simply purchasing a “virtual foot ornament”. 100% of the proceeds will go to Samaritan’s Feet to support our efforts to provide shoes and a message of hope to 10 million children over 10 years.

Click here for more information about Blacklion Dilworth’s November 9th Friends and Family event.

During the summer, our four interns will be sharing their experiences and thoughts about being a part of the Samaritan’s Feet Team. Recent Indiana University graduate Broderick Thompson is up first. Keep a look out each week for what the interns are up to.

Broderick Thompson (left) with friend Marcus El get ready to participate in the 100-hole golf marathon to support Samaritan's Feet.

My name is Broderick Thompson and I’m a recent college grad from Indiana University and currently an intern with Samaritan’s Feet.

I first learned about Samaritan’s Feet in 2008 after seeing an article on ESPN.com about former Current Georgia State Coach Ron Hunter’s barefoot coaching game while he was at IUPUI and his subsequent trip to Peru.  I was inspired by the story so I shared it with my friends and encouraged them to donate to the cause.   A few months later I learned about a shoe distribution taking place in Indianapolis on Martin Luther King Day and decided to volunteer.  At this distribution I met children in need, washed their feet, and physically placed a new pair of shoes and socks on each of them.  It was amazing to see how thankful these kids were for their new shoes. While this was a great experience, these kids came in with shoes on their feet already …  I couldn’t stop thinking about the kids around the world who had no shoes at all.  I knew I had to do more to help.

I decided I wanted to start a club at IU for Samaritan’s Feet, but I honestly had no idea how to get this started or what we would even do.  After months of procrastination and uncertainty, I finally registered the Samaritan’s Feet Club through the Student Organizations Office.  At the time the only “club members” were me and a few of my friends.  However, within a couple months I connected with two other students who shared the same passion, and in March 2010, we had our first club call-out meeting.

In just over a year, the club raised more than 50 pairs of shoes and collected over $1,500.  The highlight of the club’s short history was when we attempted to break the world record for the Largest Game of Dodgeball on the turf of Memorial Stadium in August 2010.  We fell short of the record (1,200 people) yet over 700 people played in this massive game of dodgeball!  Even more importantly, we raised $700 for Samaritan’s Feet.  The game was covered in the Indianapolis Star, The Indiana Daily Student (IU’s Student Newspaper), and Indiana Alumni Magazine.  It was also featured on the home page of IU’s website for a few months.  Although it’s still a little disappointing that we were unable to break the record, it was great to see how we were able to spread the word about Samaritan’s Feet and make an impact on IU’s campus.

In August 2010, over 700 IU students played in a dodgeball game that raised money for Samaritan’s Feet.

Now that I’ve graduated, I will no longer be working with the club but I know I’ve left it in good hands.  The club will continue to grow and raise money for Samaritan’s Feet.  I’m excited to see what they have in store and how they will continue to make an impact at Indiana University.  I have enjoyed my internship here so far and I will certainly continue to volunteer and support Samaritan’s Feet with the rest of my life!

I’ll finish with one of my favorite quotes:

“I always wondered why somebody doesn’t do something about that. Then I realized I was somebody.”

I’m not 100% sure where this quote came from or how I even found it, but it has definitely changed my life.  We all have the ability to do great things, we just have the faith to step out and go after these dreams!  The only thing I regret about the Samaritan’s Feet Club is that I didn’t start it sooner.  I’d encourage everyone who has an idea to push their fears aside and give it a shot!  Based on my personal experience, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the results!

Thanks and have a blessed day,
Broderick

The following is a personal account from Anne Powell, who traveled with Samaritan’s Feet June 10-17 to deliver shoes and a message of hope to children in Haiti.

Now that I have made my second visit to Port au Prince, I am certain that a week in Haiti is an experience like no other.  And one I hope to repeat again and again.  This time the difference was sleeping on a twin bed, instead of a tent on the floor; bathrooms with flushing toilets and showers with running water, (cold but refreshing); and this time, we not only loved and held and played and sang with many children, we also washed their feet and gave them shoes.

We were a team of 8 who came with a unified purpose from multiple points in the States and various pursuits in our personal and professional lives; horsebreeders from a farm in Iowa, a family of four with two teens from Florida and two singles from Washington, D.C. What was wonderfully familiar on this June mission trip as well as my 2010 trip with a team of 16, was how easily a bond was created as we prayed and ministered and laughed and cried together, establishing a connection that will last well beyond our 7 days.

We saw children and families living in conditions that seemed unbearable and loved on the children who had been recently rescued from tents in the worst part of the city.  We brought the love of Christ in our smiles and hugs, in someways more important than the shoes we distributed, games we played and gifts we brought.  But we were not alone in giving.  They gave us an opportunity to see the power of Jesus Christ, revealed in their ability to do much more than survive but to live with hope, faith and love.

Thanks to Anne for sharing her story. Over the summer we will continue to share first person accounts of the people who are making a difference in the more than 300 million children who wake up each morning without a proper pair of shoes to put on their feet.

With the help of Buick, Samaritan’s Feet is invading Brackettown at the NCAA Final Four in Houston. For every person who takes a shot at the Buick Court at Brackettown, the car company will donate a pair of shoes to Samaritan’s Feet. By the end of the weekend this number could reach into the thousands.

The video counter screen will also feature Manny’s Buick Human Highlight Reel Story along with the four other former college athletes who are being highlighted during the series.

Thanks to Buick for all of their support during the Final Four week. From the distributions to Brackettown, GM is making a difference in the lives of children all over the world. With their support Samaritan’s Feet was able to distribute 2011 pairs of shoes to Houston-area children and make a difference in the community. The car maker also provided back packs for the children to carry their old shoes home in.

Through the Buick Brackettown Court and the Human Highlight Reel more and more people are learning the mission of Samaritan’s Feet.

Samaritan’s Feet finished out its four-day distribution blitz in Houston by sharing a message of hope and giving 1000 pairs of shoes to Houston-area children at the Acres Homes Multi-Service Center.

All week the distributions have been sponsored by Buick held during the NCAA Community Days along with Feed the Hungry. During the week more than 2011 children received a new pair of shoes and socks.

Along with volunteers from the The Community of Faith, UPS, and the Houston community, 25 college basketball coaches took time away from the NABC conference to join in the distribution.

Barefoot Coaches Scott Nagy of South Dakota State University (top) and Alex Nwora of Erie Community College came out to share a message of hope with the children.

North Dakota Coach Brian Jones along with his wife Danna and their children lent a hand at the distribution.

Heather, from the Houston local organizing committee (pictured above) was on hand every day along with committee members Matt, Resa and Crystal to help the distributions run smoothly. We are thankful for their help.

Thank you to Cintas for providing the towels at each of the distributions.