SAN FRANCISCO – Joining the spirit of giving over this past winter, Academy of Art University Athletics spent the months of December and January collecting shoes to be donated as part of the Soles4Souls mission to "Wear Out Poverty." In an effort to benefit this non-profit global social enterprise committed to fighting the impact and perpetuation of poverty, Director of Facilities & Operations Sanders Durham worked with former student-athletes to arrange donations on campus.

"Originally the idea came from thinking about how our student-athletes could spearhead an event on behalf of the department to make a difference in our community," Durham said. "I thought of how shoes are so important to every individual athlete so why not donate an item that is important to us?"

As part of Academy of Art Athletics' Fifth-Year Program (former student-athletes now assisting the department while completing their respective degrees), Jasmin Guinn (women's basketball/track & field) and Rea Laudat (women's soccer) contributed their design and distribution skills to market the campaign which began at the start of December and spanned through late January.

Soles4Souls is a non-profit global social enterprise committed to fighting the devastating impact and perpetuation of poverty. The organization advances its anti-poverty mission by collecting new and used shoes and clothes from individuals, schools, faith-based institutions, civic organizations and corporate partners, then distributing those shoes and clothes both via direct donations to people in need and by provisioning qualified micro-enterprise programs designed to create jobs in poor and disadvantaged communities. Since it began, Soles4Souls has distributed more than 30 million pairs of shoes in 127 countries.

ART U will now ship its fall semester donation of more than 60 shoes to the Soles4Souls headquarters in Nashville, Tenn. and continue accepting donations through the end of the school year.

"It is important to give back to the community because without it we would not have the opportunities we have as coaches, staff members, and student-athletes," Durham said. "I would love to see this campaign grow into something huge."

Please visit www.soles4souls.org for more information about how you can support the cause.