And that’s exactly the way he wanted it for himself and the other coaches who took off their shoes to raise funds and awareness for the plight of children around the world.

Coaches for the Upward Basketball Ministry at Ridgecrest Baptist Church doffed their shoes Saturday as part of a nationwide movement that’s been drawing attention to a charity that’s sending shoes to Haiti.

The charity’s name is Samaritan’s Feet, and it works to address problems caused by the lack of shoes for the world’s poorest children.

According to Samaritan’s Feet, nearly 300 million children worldwide don’t have shoes. The lack of shoes can cause a number of problems such as injuries, frostbite and infection.

Sherri Wiggins was one of the coaches going shoeless Saturday. Wiggins said the event made her realize how much residents of wealthy countries took for granted.

“I probably have 20 pairs of shoes in my closet,” she said.

Sanders, who is the recreation minister at Ridgecrest, hoped the event led folks to consider how blessed they are, and encouraged them to donate to ongoing relief efforts for Haiti.

“We’re not thankful enough for our blessings,” he said.

According to the Samaritan’s Feet Web site, the quickest way to help is to keyword SHOES to #85944. You will receive a text back asking if you would like to donate $5 to Samaritan’s Feet. A simple confirmation reply will complete your transaction, and the $5 donation will be added to your next cell phone bill.

This is a one-time donation that can be repeated five times each month.