The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

THE Rotary Club of Grand Bahama launched ‘The Blue Shoe Project’ on Friday with a presentation of brand new school shoes to the Grand Bahama Children’s Home.

President Donovan Bowe said the project is a major initiative to provide new and gently used footwear to children and students with special needs, as well as needy people.

“We are pleased to present the residents of the GB Children’s Home with brand new school shoes, just in time for the opening of the academic year,” Mr Bowe said last week.

“This donation represents one of the commitments of our installation event held on July 2 and is also a part of the Blue Shoe Project.”

Mr Bowe said the donation on Friday represents phase one of that project, which is to donate new and gently used shoes to deserving youth in Grand Bahama.

He said the project is a shoe programme for children and students with special needs as well as poverty-stricken youth, providing them with new and gently worn footwear.

Mr Bowe, who is a resident of East Grand Bahama, lost his home and all of his possessions, in addition to several family members in 2019 during Hurricane Dorian.

He was left with one pair of sandals — the ones he left from home wearing the day of the storm. His experience inspired the project.

Mr Bowe stressed that footwear is a crucial basic need.

“With so much devastation on the island, there was literally nowhere to source a pair of shoes,” he said. “Rotarian Titi Moss sourced me a pair of shoes from those that were donated, along with other supplies, from Rotarians of the 6990 District. It was a sleek pair of royal blue-coloured Nike tennis shoes in size 13. I wore them almost every day as I worked with other Rotarians and community leaders trying to return the community and island to some semblance of normalcy. The colour royal blue matched everything at that time, having gone from pairs of shoes in every colour to one single pair of tennis shoes. Thus, the genesis of The Blue Shoe Project, Soles for Souls,” he said.

June Hutcheson, executive director of GB Children’s Home, was very grateful for the donation of shoes.

“On behalf of the board, I would like to extend thanks to the Rotary Club of GB which has always been so kind and generous to us,” she said. “With these shoes, the children will go to school in fine form and we wish them a good year in this new campaign.”

Mr Bowe thanked those who supported the event, including Jon Wes Shoe Store for offering them a generous discount.