Reach Out Rye: Crocs for Kids in Southern Africa
We hope MyRye.com readers will "step up".
(PHOTO: Donate crocs to these children) Step up and donate new or "hardly worn" crocs to be sent to the Mants’ase Children’s Home, an orphanage in Lesotho, Southern Africa.
Reach Out Rye, the community service group at Rye Middle School, is running a Croc (or croc-like shoes) collection drive so they can donate the shoes to the orphanage.
The airy, nearly-indestructible shoes are perfect for the hot and rugged African terrain, where many children are forced to go barefoot. The goal is to collect 60-70 pairs of any style/size/brand of new crocs (or hardly worn), but preferably children-sized crocs to send to the home.
A collection bin is located at the Rye Middle School outside of the RMS Office, or you can drop off your donations at Mr. Dreves’ house prior to the start of school (325 Milton Road).
You can read the entire story on the Mants’ase Children’s Home or start with this excerpt:
"The need for a place like Mants’ase Children’s Home arose when families could no longer take in orphaned or abandoned relatives. Traditionally in Basotho culture the extended family cares for any relatives in need of assistance. Unfortunately, poverty caused this system to begin to break down and some children (and babies) were left with no one to care for him or her. With the HIV/AIDS pandemic now sweeping Lesotho, this is truer than ever before. Wage earners are dying at an alarming rate, leaving behind children to families that are already overburdened."
Now drive to Athlete's Foot on Purchase Street and get those crocs.
Thanks to everyone who supported our Crocs drive for the children at Mantsase Children’s Home in Lesotho, Southern Africa. After a great deal of searching for a feasible shipping method, I was able to get into contact with the in-coming director of the Peace Corps in Lesotho and she has graciously offered space amongst her personal effects when the Peace Corps ships them out in February! The good news is that the Crocs need only be shipped to her in the US so that’s a huge savings, and it also will give her the opportunity to visit the site and possibly send a Peace Corps volunteer to help them out with their mission in the future. Thanks for reaching out!
Craig Dreves
In their most recent newsletter, the Mantsase Children’s Home sent the following Thank You:
Thank you to Craig Dreves and the people of Rye, NY for donating Crocs to all of our children. We also thank the new Peace Corps country director for helping to get the shoes to us.
https://www.mantsasechildrenshome.org/May%202010%20Newsletter.pdf