Miss Lehi is asking residents to donate their old shoes to a charitable endeavor to help increase the quality of life for the people of Burkina Faso. Eighteen-year-old Kadee Jones, who was crowned Miss Lehi in June, is currently working toward the Miss Utah 2018 pageant, where she will represent Lehi during the competition. Part of the Miss Utah pageant is a shoe drive, in which each contestant collects used shoes to donate to a charitable cause.
The shoes are donated to “Power to Become,” a nonprofit that sells the donated shoes to various recycling companies. Power to Become then uses the money to go to Burkina Faso, and other surrounding areas in Africa to help improve the lives of the people there.
Kadee said, “The money that comes from the donated shoes is used mostly to help build wells in those specific areas. Oftentimes, the people in Burkina Faso go without water for long periods of time, and the water they do have is very limited. I am very excited about the shoe drive, and I hope that the citizens of Lehi can help me in changing the lives of those in Burkina Faso.”
Burkina Faso is currently the third poorest country in Africa with a literacy rate of 29 percent and a child labor rate of 38 percent.
Jones says that the shoes donated can be any style and any size, they just need to be in wearable condition. Currently, drop off locations are at the Lehi Legacy Center, and both Lehi and Skyridge High Schools. Her goal is to collect 15,000 pairs of shoes. To schedule a pick-up, or for more information, contact Kadee at lfpkadee@gmail.com.
