Barefoot coach inspires teen to begin collecting shoes

By: Donavon Campbell

Inspired by the story of a barefoot college basketball coach in Indiana, a pair of Grandview Heights residents have decided to collect shoes.

If it doesn’t make sense yet, it will.

Thirteen-year-old Gabriela Romero Rose and her mother, Charity Romero Rose, said they were watching a story on television about Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis men’s basketball coach Ron Hunter.

He coached a game in his bare feet to raise awareness about Samaritan’s Feet — a nonprofit organization that collects new shoes and gives them to children around the world — during the NCAA basketball tournament this spring.

Gabriela Romero Rose, who played basketball, said Hunter’s story made a mark.

“That’s what kind of inspired me,” Romero Rose said. “I thought, I could do something like that.”

The goal of Samaritan’s Feet is to provide 10 million pairs of new shoes for orphans and impoverished children in this country and around the world, according to the organization’s Web site.

The group was founded by Emmanuel Ohonme, a native of Nigeria who didn’t receive his first pair of shoes until he was 9 years old.

Ohonme, who now lives in the United States, said his organization hopes to collect three million pairs of shoes by the end of this year.

“I can’t imagine,” growing up without shoes, Romero Rose said. “I enjoy going around in my bare feet, but I can’t imagine going through my childhood without shoes.”

But before you can get to 10 million, first you’ve got to get one.

Gabriela Romero Rose said she and her mother’s first attempt to raise some awareness was not as successful as they had hoped.

The two tried to organize event for one of her daughter’s basketball games, but the timing was too soon to get a big effort together, Charity Romero Rose said.

So they redoubled their efforts this summer by setting up booths at the monthly Grandview Hop events, the Tour de Grandview Cycling Classic and the weekly Music on the Lawn series at the Grandview Heights Public Library.

They admit it has been slow going. To this point, they’ve managed to collect three pairs of shoes and roughly $70 in donations.

But Gabriela Romero Rose said she is not discouraged.

“I’ve only set up a booth a couple of times,” she said.

“It may be a slow start but I’m sure things will pick up this summer. I’m not that worried about not getting anymore.”

Romero Rose said she also has her eye on the end of the summer when parents do their back-to-school shopping. The two are planning to put up a booth at the ice cream social event at Stevenson Elementary School Aug. 18.

Their goal is to collect 100 pairs of shoes to send in to Samaritan’s Feet, said Romero Rose, adding, “that’s a lot of shoes.”

Ohonme said the importance of individual efforts such as the Romero Roses’ cannot be understated.

“That’s the fuel that keeps us going,” Ohonme said.

“People realize that they’ve been blessed, and with blessings come the responsibility to give back.

“To me, it’s just music to my soul.”

For more information about Samaritan’s Feet or to find out how to donate visit the Web site samaritansfeet.org.

To make a donation through the Romero Roses, call 614-421-2391.

“People realize that they’ve been blessed, and with blessings come the responsibility to give back.”

–Emmanuel Ohonme

(this article appeared in the July 8, 2009 Tri-Village News)