March 6, 2023
 
To All Shoes Cheerleaders in Rotary District 6040 Rotary Clubs –
 
Good morning to the Rotarians in north Missouri.  Please have a look at this Communication #2 regarding our Shoes for Orphan Souls project.
 
Well, we did indeed get that Chiefs Super Bowl win – and we are now seeing the spring season beginning to come upon us.
 
I am grateful to all of you for your efforts working on shoes again this year.  Our 22nd year.
 
I hope and trust that your club President has received the informational/PR packets from Buckner – if you did not, or you need more of those materials, just let me know.
 
As always, I hope and trust that you are engaging your club members, your Interact Clubs, your high schools and churches in your community. 
 
I’m happy to remind you of our goals for this year.
 
WHERE WILL THE SHOES BE GOING THIS YEAR? – to Guatemala and the Dominican Republic.
 
SHOES GOAL – I would like to establish a goal of 15,199 pairs of shoes.  If we can achieve this, colleagues, we will eclipse a cumulative amount of 400,000 pairs of shoes over these 22 years.  A source of great pride for us.
 
SOCKS GOAL – I would like to establish a goal of 4,409 pairs of socks.  If we can achieve this, colleagues, we will eclipse a cumulative amount of 50,000 pairs of socks over these 22 years.  A source of great pride for us.
 
SHOES CARAVAN – will be condensed to one weekend this year, tentative dates are April 26, April 27, and April 28.  It could be two days.  It could be three days.  John Gill and I are putting the finishing touches on our caravan schedule.  It could involve multiple smaller trailers operating in various parts of the district on the same day.  While this might mean that I would not be able to personally see each of our clubs, we may need to move to this model for this year.
 
PROJECT COMPLETION and SHOES ROLL CALL - Given that we hope to be able to go back to our “normal rhythm” of completing our collections efforts at the District Conference, we will complete our efforts on Saturday, April 29 with our TRADITIONAL SHOES ROLL CALL OF CLUBS at the DISTRICT CONFERENCE at the TRUMAN PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY in Independence, Missouri.  I encourage you to plan now for a representative of your club to participate in the TRADITIONAL SHOES ROLL CALL OF CLUBS.
 
WHICH CLUB WILL TAKE US OVER 400,000 PAIRS OF SHOES DURING THE SHOES ROLL CALL?  I will look forward to seeing you on April 29th at the District Conference.
 
Please encourage each of your club’s Rotarians to come along on the journey.
 
Children everywhere, including Guatemala and the Dominican Republic, need your club’s shoes collection efforts now more than ever.
 
Let me know what questions you may have.
 
Your proud shoes cheerleader,
 
Larry Lunsford