Current Pedorthics | January-February 2017 | Vol.49, Issue 1 | Page 33

As Pedorthist ’ s we see unique feet from all walks of life on a regular basis . We watch people in the grocery stores and judge there footwear , while in disbelief someone could actually walk in “ those shoes ”.
As Pedorthist ’ s we see unique feet from all walks of life on a regular basis . We watch people in the grocery stores and judge there footwear , while in disbelief someone could actually walk in “ those shoes ”.
Photo : @ iStock . com / pinarlauridsen
We work hard every day in an industry with little recognition and are more involved in our communities than we sometimes realize . We help so many people and support our communities and families in so many ways .
As small business owners many of us support the local economy as well . We do a lot for charity and donate time and money to causes that are dear to us . I have personally collected shoes for many organizations throughout the years , one being Soles for Souls . It is fulfilling and serves the community well to do this . However , this past spring one of co-workers and good friends asked “ why don ’ t we get more involved ” and “ actually go somewhere ”. She pulled up Soles for Souls site and we looked over all the volunteer trips . Before I knew it we were raising money in plans to take a trip to Haiti with Souls for Soles . The fundraising was slow to start , but we pushed along with events and promotions throughout the summer to continue the project .
Shortly after the Hurricane hit Haiti we saw an influx in interest in our trip and the donations began pouring in . Just a couple weeks prior to our departure we had surpassed our fundraising goal and the trip was becoming a reality . What was equally exciting was that locally the pedorthic community was also coming together . My local pedorthic colleagues and small business owners , who at a glance would be considered “ competition ”, were going out of there way helping us find and collect footwear for our trip . I quickly realized we were all part of a unique family and with the right mindset and vision could accomplish anything . As a group and community we quickly collected more than 600 shoes . Most of which we drove to Miami for further processing to Haiti .
And so our adventure began . Port au prince was only a short flight from Ft . Lauderdale yet as the plane makes
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