For Immediate Release

 THE BAREFOOT COACH STRIKES AGAIN!!!

IUPUI HEAD BASKETBALL COACH RON HUNTER ANNOUNCES NATIONAL BAREFOOT DAY THROUGH SAMARITAN'S FEET “BAREFOOT FOR A CAUSE” PROVIDING SHOES AND AWARENESS FOR WORLDWIDE OUTREACH

(INDIANAPOLIS , IN) –December 23, 2008 – IUPUI (Indiana University , Purdue University Indianapolis) Men’s Head Basketball Coach, Ron Hunter will coach in his bare feet on January 17, 2009 at home against Centenary. This year, he will be joined by many more from all levels of competition. Coach Hunter was the first coach to ever do this.  Now hundreds of coaches will support his effort to put 1,000,000 pairs of shoes on the feet of children. Hunter and others will this Tuesday, December 23^rd announce their role as key partners in the worldwide outreach of U.S. based charity Samaritan’s Feet. 

The press conference, open to all interested media, will be held at 4:00pm, Tuesday, December 23rd at Conseco Fieldhouse inIndianapolis, located at

 One Conseco Court

125 S. Pennsylvania Street

Indianapolis, IN  46204

Those present will include IUPUI Head Basketball Coach, Ron Hunter, Emmanuel Ohonme, founder of Samaritan’s Feet, Indiana Pacers Executive and former NBA playeR Quinn Buckner, Indiana State Basketball Coach, Kevin McKenna, Guerin Catholic High School Coach, Pete Smith, members of the IMPD police force, IUPUI Faculty and other city leaders. 

Central to the alliance is the scheduled January 17^th-National Barefoot Day, in which hundreds of coaches will coach a game in their bare feet to raise awareness and support for the more than 300 million children globally who have never owned a pair of shoes.

Coach Hunter and Ohonme are expected to unveil their plan to raise 1 million pairs of shoes. “We are extremely pleased that Coach Hunter has again embraced our request to coach a game in his bare feet and to use his platform to provide a voice for those children world-wide who will never own a pair of shoes,” noted Samaritan’s Feet Founder, Manny Ohonme. “His and the other coaches involvement will move this event to a new level and our ongoing global mission to reach the world’s neediest children with the gift of shoes.”

History

In November of 2007, Samaritan’s Feet asked Ron Hunter, a college basketball coach, to take off his shoes and socks to raise 40,000 pairs of shoes and draw awareness to the world-wide issue of 300 million children without shoes. 

Coach Hunter said yes and embraced the goal of 40,000 pairs of shoes that he wanted donated by January 24^th. In less than six weeks, his goal was blown out of the water. By tip-off Coach Hunter and Samaritan’s Feet had raised over 140,000 pairs of shoes and over $30,000.  The media exposure was incredible. Over 439 media outlets covered the story before and after he coached the game, including, ABC World News Tonight, CNN, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, USA Today, LA Times and many more. He also personally delivered the shoes with his team to Lima, Peru in August.

Everyday, coaches from around the country call Samaritan’s Feet to find out how they can help and are willing to shed their shoes. They are eager to use their celebrity platforms as coaches to help us reach our goal. Coaches are engaged with Samaritan’s Feet to help us reach our goal of distributing 10 million pairs of shoes to 10 million people in 10 years.

On January 17, 2009, Samaritan’s Feet will continue to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, by once again asking all basketball coaches (college, pro, high school, junior high, and youth recreational and travel teams) to coach a game in their bare feet in honor of Dr. King who sacrificed so much for so many.  

Coaches will be encouraged to coach the game in their bare feet as close to January 19th (MLK Day) as possible. Dr. King’s impact continues to be felt through his teachings of serving and helping the poor. Samaritan’s Feet embodies that mantra and lives it out everyday. Coaches will honor his life by standing for the 300 million children around the world who don’t have a voice. They suffer from diseases, infection and many other ailments because they don’t have shoes to wear. Needless to say, they can’t play sports without shoes.  

Confirmed Coaches

As a result of the success, several hundred basketball coaches are coaching a game in their bare feet. The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) has endorsed Samaritan’s Feet and its quest to get every basketball coach in America to coach a game in their bare feet. 

• Already, Coaches from the Summit and Horizon League have agreed to do it.
• The MAC Conference has sent out emails supporting the cause. 
• Three hundred Youth Coaches from Indianapolis and Charlotte have agreed to do it.
• Other Indiana High School Coaches have agreed to do it.

INTERESTED MEDIA:   For further press conference information, media credentials, or interest in Samaritan’s Feet and “National Barefoot Day” please contact Samaritan’s Feet Marketing Director, Todd Melloh at 317-417-3525 or tmelloh@samaritansfeet.org .