April 17, 2008

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Stony Brook University's Department of Athletics recently completed a successful community service project during which over 400 pairs of shoes were collected and donated to the Soles4Souls^TM organization which facilitates the donations of shoes to aid the hurting worldwide.

Senior Zach Tyerman (Seattle, Wash.) of the track & field team spearheaded the effort at Stony Brook which was also sponsored by the Stony Brook Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC). Members of the SAAC served as points of contact for their respective teams, facilitating the collection of the shoes and sorting and packing them for shipment. For more information on Soles4Souls^TM, please visit their website at www.soles4souls.org.

"The spark (for the project) came when my team and I were cleaning up our locker room," said Tyerman. "Somehow all the old shoes we had ended up in a big cardboard box. Looking at the box we realized that it would be such a waste to just throw them away, and then the idea of donating them came up. I was amazed by the number of supporters that stepped forward and am very pleased with the results. My hope is that this project will become an annual event for the athletic department and something that I believe can reach out and grow to include all areas of our campus and within our campus community."