MBA's Council of Professional Women in Banking and Finance Collects 63,270 Pairs of Used Shoes to Help Soles4Souls Fight Poverty

In partnership with Soles4Souls, Inc., the Maryland Bankers Association's (MBA) Council of Professional Women in Banking and Finance concluded its 2014 Philanthropy Initiative with a total collection of 63,270 pairs of used shoes. The Council’s Used Shoe Drive is the largest association effort in Soles4Souls history.

The 329 participating bank branches and offices representing 34 organizations across Maryland and the surrounding region surpassed the Council's original collection goal of 25,000 pairs of used shoes. The Used Shoe Drive began February 10 and concluded at the Council of Professional Women in Banking and Finance’s 2nd Annual Conference on May 1 at the Hilton BWI Hotel. Participating branches delivered their collections to a Soles4Souls 53-foot trailer onsite at the Conference.

As a result of the Used Shoe Drive’s astounding success, a random drawing of all participating banks and organizations was held at the 2nd Annual Conference on behalf of Soles4Souls, offering three banks the opportunity to travel to Haiti with Soles4Souls representatives to distribute shoes. Individuals representing First United Bank & Trust, Queenstown Bank of Maryland and WashingtonFirst Bank will make the mission trip later this year.

The Council of Professional Women in Banking and Finance Philanthropy mission is to give back to the Maryland community through leadership and inspiration. This year’s partnership with Soles4Souls was chosen in alignment with the Council’s 2014 Annual Conference theme, “Build Your Story,” and the many ways a woman walks in her shoes to lead, nurture and inspire others. The Used Shoe Drive is the first Philanthropy Initiative implemented by the Council, with hopes of choosing future initiatives as determined by the Council’s Advisory Board.

“We are extremely proud of the commitment and dedication demonstrated by our member banks and organizations through this Philanthropy Initiative,” said President and CEO of the Maryland Bankers Association, Kathleen Murphy. “We would like to thank and congratulate all who participated in the Used Shoe Drive and contributed to the fulfillment of our ever-important mission of giving back to our Maryland and global community.”

Soles4Souls is an international anti-poverty social enterprise that distributes used shoes and clothing to create sustainable jobs and fund direct relief efforts. The 63,270 pairs of used shoes collected from this drive will be sent to the Soles4Souls processing center, where they will convert every pair of shoes into a value-added “social currency” to achieve positive change, both humanitarian and economic. Most of the used shoes will be sent to micro-enterprise programs that create jobs in developing nations such as Haiti. The resulting revenue from collected shoes will fund 500 new pairs of clog shoes, which MBA’s Council of Professional Women in Banking and Finance will donate to a Maryland-based nonprofit organization and distribute at a special event this summer.

“Working with the Maryland Bankers Association was one of the highlights of our year,” said President and CEO of Soles4Souls, Buddy Teaster. “Not only was it the largest shoe drive in our history, in terms of locations, working with the Council of Professional Women in Banking and Finance was a perfect match because we work with so many women in the global fight against poverty. We couldn’t have been happier with the results and feel like we’ve made friends for life.”

The following are banks and organizations that participated in the 2014 Philanthropy Initiative:

·         Bay-Vanguard Federal Savings Bank

·         Calvin B. Taylor Banking Company

·         Capital One Bank

·         Chesapeake Bank of Maryland

·         Cliber Compliance, LLC

·         Community Bank of the Chesapeake

·         Congressional Bank

·         EagleBank

·         Easton Bank & Trust

·         Fairmount Bank

·         Farmers & Merchants Bank

·         Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond-Baltimore

·         First Shore Federal

·         First United Bank & Trust

·         Frederick County Bank

·         Hamilton Bank

·         Harford Bank

·         Homewood Federal Savings Bank

·         Howard Bank

·         M&T Bank

·         Madison Square Federal Savings Bank

·         Maryland Bankers Association

·         Middletown Valley Bank

·         North Arundel Savings Bank

·         Old Line Bank

·         Queenstown Bank of Maryland

·         Sandy Spring Bank

·         Slavie Federal Savings Bank

·         The Bank of Glen Burnie

·         The Columbia Bank

·         The Harbor Bank of Maryland

·         The National Bank of Cambridge

·         Washington First Bank

·         Wells Fargo Bank

For additional information about MBA or its Council of Professional Women in Banking and Finance, contact Cindy Gentilcore at 443-837-1602 or by email at cgentilcore@mdbankers.com. Please direct all media inquiries to Kristi Frisch at 410-420-2001 or by email at Kristi.Frisch@FallstonGroup.com. 

About Maryland Bankers Association
Founded in 1896, MBA’s member banks hold 97% of the FDIC insured deposits in Maryland in nearly 1,800 branch offices. MBA serves member banks and thrifts as a legislative and regulatory advocate at all levels of government, as the public relations voice for the industry, as a provider of professional education to members, and as a promoter of financial education to the community. Please visit www.mdbankers.com for more information. 

About Soles4Souls
Founded in 2006, Soles4Souls, Inc. advances the fight against global poverty through social enterprise – a term describing charities that use proven business practices to create positive social change. Each year, Soles4Souls collects millions of used and new shoes from volunteer shoe drives, civic groups, churches and schools, small businesses and big-brand companies. Most reusable shoes are distributed to support micro-enterprise programs, creating and sustaining desperately-needed jobs in Haiti and other poor nations. The resulting revenue that Soles4Souls earns then helps fund free distribution of new shoes and clothing throughout the U.S. and overseas. In the last fiscal year alone, Soles4Souls distributed almost two million pairs of used shoes and 1.9 million pairs of new shoes in North and Central America, Africa and the Caribbean. Soles4Souls is proud to hold a four-star rating for meeting the highest standards of governance and ethics from watchdog organization Charity Navigator. To learn how you can support Soles4Souls in fighting poverty and human suffering around the world, please visit www.soles4souls.org or call (615) 391-5723.  Soles4Souls headquarters are located at 319 Martingale Drive, Old Hickory, Tennessee 37138.