When eight-year-old Ryan McCone of Cub Scout from Pack 657, saw the terrible news of the earthquake in Haiti recently, he know he wanted to do something to help the people who were in such a dire situation.
“I was sad when I saw the children who lost their parents and all of their stuff,” McCone said.
He wanted to do something to help, but did not want to ask for money. He heard about the Soles for Souls program and thought that was perfect. He decided to collect used shoes for the earthquake victims.
With the help of his friend Madi DeVries, McCone handed out flyers throughout the College Park West neighborhood in Seal Beach. Announcements were also made at Hopkinson Elementary (Los Alamitos), Cub Scouts Pack 657, and National Charity League-South Coast Chapter.
Through the collective efforts of Ryan and these community organizations, Ryan collected 1,200 pairs of shoes and delivered them to the Long Beach Sports Chalet.
“I was impressed by the number of donations. Shoes kept coming and coming. My whole garage was filled with shoes!” he said.