***SHOE DONATIONS TO END JUNE 30, 2017***
From June 30 2017 Soles4Souls Australia will be taking an extended break (until further notice).
Therefore, ALL shoe donations must be received at one of our partnering businesses by the 30th of June 2017 to be included in our FINAL shipment.
Below is a letter from our Chair and Founder, Dalice Kennedy.
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Dear Soles4Souls Australia Community,
As you may be aware, over the past several months the Board of Directors and I have been diligently working towards securing a new leadership agreement to take-over the operations of Soles4Souls Australia.
Following our announcement in October 2016 (http://soles4souls.com.au/an-important-message-about-the-future-of-soles4souls-australia/), we were humbled by the level of interest and support we received from the community.
Through an extensive due-diligence process we met with and interviewed a number of potential candidates on our path to securing a partnership which would be in the best interest and integrity of the charity and in the best interest of the person/organisation wishing to take on the operations.
Throughout this process the Board of Directors remained focused on the need to find a sustainable solution.
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The following was included in our announcement in October 2016:
The Australian charity sector, with more than 60,000 charities (and continues to rise), is highly competitive.
Creating a sustainable charity is extremely challenging.
And, for the past three months we have been operating all administration on volunteer resources.
For us to continue and be independently sustainable we need ongoing grant funding and financial donations…
However, grant funding is competitive and often not available to pay wages – which is the main expense for Soles4Souls Australia to cover resource costs associated with shoe distribution. And, if you are successful in gaining a grant, grants of this nature are also not recurring.
Therefore, this makes financial donations even more critical to ensure charities like ours stay operating. Unfortunately, while we have received significant donations of shoes we have not received significant financial donations over the past five years to ensure we can continue our work on an ongoing basis.
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During this process to secure new leadership for the operations of Soles4Souls Australia, we became close with one group/organisation, however, they have since decided not to proceed.
Therefore, the Board of Directors and I have decided to send a final container (final for now) and take an extended break to reflect and review the charity and the operations.
For your information the time line is:
Now until June 30 2017: All shoes to be sent to donation locations Australia-wide
SA: http://soles4souls.com.au/donateshoes/south-australia-adelaide-locations/
WA: http://soles4souls.com.au/western-australia-locations/
National (participating Bartercard offices including Canberra, Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia): http://soles4souls.com.au/national-bartercard/
July 2017: All shoes to be sent to our partner Wesley Social Enterprises for sorting and packing
S4SA Collections
208 Port Road
Alberton SA 5014
August 2017: Pack and send final container
With this final container it is my hope and expectation that we will reach the target of 200,000 pairs of shoes redistributed during our 6 years of operations.
Thank you again for your continued support.
If you have any questions please be in contact with me at info@soles4souls.com.au.
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Warm regards,
Dalice
Chair & Founder