Media Coverage Report: June 2026

June 30, 2026

June 20, 2026
Lagniappe | Baldwin Bone & Joint, 68 Ventures | By J. Mark Bryant

In many cases, businesses are known only for the sway they have on the financial world. Others, though, are remembered best for the impact they have on their communities.

That is certainly true for both the Baldwin Bone & Joint orthopedic group and the real estate investment firm 68 Ventures. They continue to make contributions away from their offices.

Many More Miles

Hundreds of residents across Baldwin and Mobile counties participated in Baldwin Bone & Joint’s 22nd annual Many More Miles Campaign by donating gently used shoes. This collective effort resulted in approximately 5,000 pairs of shoes being gathered and prepared for redistribution to those in need.

Of the total shoes collected, 2,000 pairs were donated through partnering with the Baldwin County Board of Education and local schools, demonstrating strong community engagement from students and their families.

The remaining 3,000 pairs came from a variety of sources, including Baldwin Bone & Joint physicians, employees and patients, and members of the surrounding communities through drop-off sites at the Spanish Fort, Daphne and Foley YMCA locations, City Hope Church, University of South Alabama Student Recreation Center, White-Spunner Realty and McCoy Outdoor Company in Mobile. These collection points played a crucial role in facilitating the campaign’s outreach and enabling broad participation.

Baldwin Bone & Joint, City Hope Church and Baldwin County schools partnered for this year’s campaign, which was especially impactful thanks to a successful one-week “Week of Giving” conducted in March. During this time, the community quickly mobilized to provide much-needed footwear to foster families, homeless communities and local schools, resulting in a record number of donations in just seven days and highlighting the generosity and commitment of local residents.

Baldwin County students were challenged to collect shoes for area families in need while earning money for their schools. 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 (715 pairs), $500 award.
2nd Place: Bayside Academy (460 pairs), $300 award.
3rd Place: Fairhope West Elementary (152 pairs), $200 award.

The Overall Class/Teacher Winner award went to Teresa Weaver’s second-grade class at Fairhope East Elementary (209 pairs). They received a cash prize and a Chick-fil-A class party provided by City Hope Church.

Recognition and further appreciation went to Belforest Elementary, Foley High School, J. Larry Newton Elementary, Rockwell Elementary, Rosinton School, Spanish Fort Elementary, Spanish Fort Middle and St. Michael Catholic High School for their contributions.

Under the experienced distribution of City Hope Church Outreach Coordinator Melanie Daw and her team, these shoes will go directly to those in need across Baldwin and Mobile counties through their partnering organizations.