Friends and Colleagues,
We’re well into the month of November, and that means that Our Hearts To Your Soles 2017 is right around the corner. This will be the 11th year that we’ve run the event, and it seems to get better each and every year. I’m always amazed by your generosity and desire to help those less fortunate in your community.
For those of you who don’t know what OHTYS is, it is an event that provides shoes, socks, health kits and free foot exams to homeless and financially burdened individuals in the Twin Cities. Red Wing Shoes will be providing the shoes, Superfeet is donating socks and hygiene kits, Fairview Hospital is supplying nurses to provide free flue shots, and area doctors and foot specialists will be on hand to fit shoes and perform foot screenings ahead of the cold winter months. It is truly a wonderful event that I look forward to every year.
When and Where
This year, Our Hearts To Your Soles will take place on Tuesday, November 21 from 3:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. The event will be held at the Catholic Charities Opportunity Center, located at 740 E. 17th Street in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
New for this year, we’ve arraigned for a Coach bus to transport volunteers to the event so they don’t have to pay to park. You can park at the Greenway Surgery Center Parking Lot, located at 2020 E. 28th Street in Minneapolis, and a bus will be able to transport volunteers to and from the event. The bus will begin transporting volunteers to the event at 2 p.m. and will provide rides every half hour after that.
As you may have noticed, we’re also extending the event hours so we can reach more people and open the doors while the sun is still shining. We used to start the event at 5:00, but we’re starting at 3:30 this year and staying open until the normal time of 7:30.
We Need Volunteers!
Would you like to volunteer for the event or provide your services to those in need in your community? If you think you can fill one of our roles, please reach out to the appropriate contact person below!
Doctors and Physical Therapists: Contact me directly by filling out the contact form at the bottom of this page or send me an email if you have my address on file. I need to make sure I have enough providers to do simple screening foot and ankle exams. Your skills as a physician will always come in handy, from Anesthesiology to Urology (all doctors will be able to perform our foot screening exam so, we need your help).
Shoefitters: We need you early to help with lacing, please consider getting there earlier at about 2:00 to help prepare shoes if possible. Contact Chris Boosalis – cpboo@earthlink.net
Attorneys: Lawyers and legal assistants can sign up, as we also provide free legal counseling for people who may need legal help. If you want to help, contact Avery Appelman of Appelman Law Firm at avery@aacriminallaw.com
Volunteers: The volunteer response every year grows exponentially and we want to let everyone have a turn to help. We are going to work in a couple of shifts. Please help us to coordinate your shift. We’re looking for lacing and set up from 2:00 to 5:00 and then event help and clean up from 5:00 to 8:00. We’d like to pencil people in for three hour shifts, but any help is always welcome. To set up a volunteer shift, please contact Olivia Elftman at olivia@anklefootmd.com
If you want to learn more about past Our Hearts To Your Soles events, check out these recaps from 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and last year!