Laureate RHO Sorority Donates to HOPE Center, Shoe Cruizer Distributes Free Shoes

Laureate RHO Sorority Members with HOPE Center Students

A February 5 bingo night at the Lamar Elks Lodge raised $250 which the local sorority, Laureate RHO, donated to the Project HOPE Center this past Friday, March 20.  Members Kay Arends and Judy Turpin said their volunteers had as much fun, if not more, than the people who come out for weekly bingo.  Lori Hammer, HOPE Executive Director, said the funds will be used to continue some of the on-going projects at the Center, at the former Lincoln Elementary School on North 10^th Street in Lamar.

Karen Voepel Helps a Student Select a Pair of Shoes from the Shoe Cruizer

Hammer said Fridays tend to be a little quieter than the rest of the week, perhaps in part to a no school day or the advancing spring break, but there was still plenty of activity with some students in the classrooms or playing a few games of basketball.  The Share the Spirit Shoe Cruizer was parked behind the school’s main building and students were busy trying on new pairs of free shoes.  Karen Voepel, co-president of the Foundation was inside the vehicle, handing down boxes of shoes from the built-in shelves, as youngsters, volunteers, parents and a dog all found space inside the reconverted to measure young feet and find a match for shoes.

“We have about 75 pairs of shoes with us for this day,”Voepel explained, “And we have 24 persons who signed up to come out today for their shoes.”  She said donations help pay for them, along with a continued big assist from Jennifer Steward from J & N Shoes, downtown Lamar.  Not knowing the specific sex of the youngster or their shoe size, Voepel says they come out on a distribution day with plenty of selections so a child can get a pair of shoes that appeal to them and will be a proper fit.  Lamar is just one of several stops the Share the Spirit Shoe Cruizer will make, as the donations encompass many of the schools in the area.

By Russ Baldwin