2023 Many More Miles Campaign to Conclude with Shoe Distribution Event to Give Back to Families in Need & Homeless
Daphne, AL (April 20, 2023) – Hundreds of people in Baldwin and Mobile Counties recently donated gently used shoes to Baldwin Bone & Joint’s 19th Annual Many More Miles Campaign, resulting in a record-breaking 4,000+ pairs of shoes finding new life.
(Photo: MMM Shoe Collection – (L-R) Genna VanVarden (Outreach Coordinator, City Hope Church), Jamie Ganey (Many More Miles Coordinator, Baldwin Bone & Joint), and Will Wiggins (Executive Administrator, Baldwin Bone & Joint)
Baldwin Bone & Joint, P.C., City Hope Church, Dr. Glenn Glass, the USA Student Recreation Center, McCoy Outdoors, White-Spunner Realty, and Baldwin County Public Schools (BCBE) partnered to collect shoes for families in need and area homeless populations. The campaign, now in its 19th year, got off to a running start in February and will conclude later in the year with the second Many More Miles shoe distribution event to be held at the Foster Care Awareness Walk in July on the campus of USA.
Baldwin County students were challenged to collect shoes for area families in need while earning money for their schools’ P.E. programs. The top three individual schools listed below brought in the greatest number of shoes and each received a check from Baldwin Bone & Joint:
- 1st Place: Fairhope East Elementary (820 pairs) – $500 award
- 2nd Place: Spanish Fort Elementary (223 pairs) – $300 award
- 3rd Place: Fairhope West Elementary (151 pairs) – $200 award
Overall Class/Teacher Winner – Beth Stocks, Fairhope East Elementary (160 pairs) – Cash prize & Chick-Fil-A class party provided by City Hope Church.
Recognition and appreciation to Rockwell Elementary, Spanish Fort Middle, Daphne Middle, and Fairhope High School for their additional contribution.
Beth Stocks’ and her 1st grade class at Fairhope East Elementary as overall teacher/class winner.
(L-R) Beth Mills and Beth Stocks, students (Fairhope East Elementary), Genna VanVarden (City Hope Church), Will Wiggins (Executive Administrator, Baldwin Bone & Joint)
MMM 1st Place Winners
(L-R) Stephanie Laughman and Beth Mills (Fairhope East Elementary) and Will Wiggins (Executive Administrator, Baldwin Bone & Joint)
Over the years, shoes donated by the local schools have provided a significant collective donation to this important campaign. The response from the community, staff and patients of Baldwin Bone & Joint also made a record-breaking contribution to this year’s campaign.
In addition to the distribution event in July, City Hope Church Outreach Coordinator, Genna VanVarden and her team continue to use these donated shoes to help other local programs:
- Fostering Together Gulf Coast
- Waterfront Rescue Mission
- McKemie Place
- Salvation Army
- Baldwin County Public Schools’ clothes closets
- Mobile’s Homeless Community
VanVarden said, “City Hope Church was thrilled to partner with the Many More Miles campaign for the second year in a row. We are excited to be actively getting the collected shoes on the feet of those who need them most. Included in local organizations receiving the donated shoes, Fostering Together Gulf Coast will be hosting their annual Foster Care Awareness Walk in July. This special event will allow us the perfect opportunity to provide the shoes collected directly to foster families right before school starts! We consider it a huge blessing to be able to provide shoes to those in need and are so thankful to come alongside Baldwin Bone and Joint’s Many More Miles campaign to effectively reach our community – one pair of shoes at a time. Thankfully because of all those who participated, every pair of shoes collected represents a person who will now walk in hope!”
The 20th Annual Many More Miles campaign will kick off in February, 2024. For more information on the Many More Miles campaign, call 251.656.3843.
ABOUT BALDWIN BONE & JOINT, P.C.
Since 1989, Baldwin Bone & Joint has provided expert orthopaedic care to patients of all ages, with all conditions. As fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeons and experienced clinicians, they are recognized leaders in the field of orthopaedics, providing the most current treatment available.
With 15 licensed medical providers on staff, Baldwin Bone & Joint is the largest privately-owned orthopaedic specialty practice in Baldwin County. Office locations include Daphne, Bay Minette, Foley and Atmore. Specialized clinics available are The Spine Institute at Baldwin Bone & Joint, The Center for Sports Medicine, The Shoulder Center at Baldwin Bone & Joint and The Osteo Health Clinic. To learn more, visit baldwinboneandjoint.com or call (251) 625-2663.
ABOUT CITY HOPE CHURCH
City Hope is one church with multiple locations, both in Alabama and around the world. If there’s one message everyone wants to be a part of, it’s the message of hope. No matter what corner of the Earth we find ourselves in, we aim to bring hope into every life, every home, and every city. We also believe in the power of family. Our goal is to fight for the absolute best for your family – financially, spiritually, and developmentally. To learn more visit https://cityhope.cc/.