Heart and Sole
The MSUCOM Shoe Project

by Krister Friday

  
Ordinary people can make a difference. That’s the lesson of the MSUCOM Shoe Project, Heart and Sole, a charity drive that has given new and used shoes and boots to needy children and adults on three different continents. Originally conceived by Ms. Ann Cook of the Graphic Services office here at MSUCOM, the project has collected used shoes and boots from college faculty, students, and staff as well as from area high school students; shipped shoes to Malawi, Nicaragua, and Honduras; and donated boots to the Lansing School District.

 

The majority of the shoes have been sent to Malawi, where they are given to patients at the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre, the base hospital of an NIH-funded study of cerebral malaria conducted by Terrie Taylor, DO, a professor of internal medicine here at MSUCOM. The Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital is a government hospital, and all services are provided free of charge. Dr. Taylor has been the director of the Blantyre Malaria Research Project since 1987 and visits the country for six months every year. With her help, the shoes are given to children suffering from malaria who have been admitted to the hospital for examination and treatment.

  
 

The project has also reached out to Matagalpa, Nicaragua, where a missionary friend of Ms. Cook runs Casa Materna, a support residence for high-risk, pregnant women. The Casa Materna residence is committed to reducing maternal and infant mortality in the region, and because many of the women there lack basic necessities, the shoes donated by the MSUCOM Shoe Project come as welcome relief.

In the summer of 1999 Hurricane Mitch ravaged Honduras, destroying homes, causing mudslides, and displacing thousands. When the University Reformed Church of East Lansing, MI sent volunteers to the region to help the locals rebuild, it sent 50 lbs. of project shoes to the area.

The project has also tried to help those closer to home. This past November it gave its donated boots to the Lansing School District’s Center for Cultural & Communication Arts Program, a program assisting low-income, high-risk immigrant children.



Despite the fact that the project has already succeeded in mailing hundreds of shoes oversees and has almost 1000 more stored in Fee Hall ready to go, Ms. Cook refuses to take credit for the project. "You don’t need to mention me in the article," she said as we were talking about the story. "Just describe the project and the others who were involved."

Some of those others who have quietly worked to bring the program about include Ms. Rebecca Elsesser, administrative assistant in MSUCOM’s department of internal medicine. As a project manager for Dr. Taylor’s malaria grant, Ms. Elsesser traveled to Malawi in 1998 for a week and later told Ms. Cook about Malawi and the many Malawians who remain barefoot—or who can only afford to buy cheap, poorly made shoes. Shoes may be a luxury in rural villages, but they are a definite asset for those making trips to town or attending school, and the imported shoes in Malawi are beyond the financial reach of the Malaria Project patients and their families. After their conversation, Ms. Cook resolved to do something and came up with a plan. As a graphic designer for the college, Ms. Cook spends hours helping faculty, staff and students develop posters and other professional presentation materials. Many of these people show their appreciation for Ms. Cook’s work by giving her small gifts. Since the MSUCOM shoe project began, Ms. Cook started asking for shoes instead. Nawal Ragheb (Class of 2000) and Jeff Mueller (Class of 1999), two students working with Dr. Taylor, received first prize from the Michigan Osteopathic Association for a scientific poster Ann helped them design. In return, the students donated their $1,500 award to the project.

In addition to her research efforts in Malawi, Dr. Taylor has helped the project in many ways. Not only has she used her long-term presence in Malawi to distribute the shoes, but she has also used a significant amount of her own resources to ship the shoes to Africa—at first paying out of pocket and then donating $5,000 she received for winning the Gutensohn-Denslow award from the American Osteopathic Association Bureau of Research.

Ms. Cook and Dr. Taylor point to many who have contributed to this project in some way and made this charity drive a success, including Roger Haut, PhD, professor of both osteopathic surgical specialties and osteopathic manipulative medicine, who donated approximately 100 brand new running shoes, hiking boots, and work boots to the project. Dr. Haut obtained these items from Wolverine World Wide, a shoe manufacturer for whom he has conducted biomechanical and comparative research. In addition, Howell High School students collected over 600 pairs of shoes for the project.

This winter the project will ship more shoes, and it is still looking for donations to cover shipping expenses. The Graphic Services office is still accepting chartible donations of new and used shoes, and it is always looking for new charities in need of shoes. For more information, call Graphic Services at 517/432-0493.

As for Ms. Cook’s role in this project, obviously I could not honor her request for anonymity. Ms. Elsesser describes it perfectly: "This project is truly a gift from the heart, and I know of no one who has as much heart to give as Ann."