Once again, staff and students of Ross Medical Education Center of Lansing, Michigan welcomed the chance to collect shoes and boots throughout the month of February for residents of Mid-Michigan. These citizens, without the generosity of others, would likely face the dilemma of having to choose between providing food or shoes for their families. Footprints of Michigan is a non-profit organization in Lansing that accepts new and gently used boots and shoes for this population. The donated footwear is then cleaned by volunteers and distributed throughout the community to residents in need. The Lansing campus’ recent drive is their second for this outstanding organization, which helps so many in the Greater Lansing Area.
Footprints of Michigan provides a wealth of information on their Facebook page. Mijo’s Lerma’s story of how the organization began, “Making Our First Footprint,” is a moving testimony of how his father saw a need in the community and was inspired to find a resolution to the problem. In it he shares, “Footprints of Michigan, Inc. was established in 2014 after attending a street walk with a local organization in Lansing, Michigan. I noticed a young homeless man in desperate need of shoes; his duct-taped soles were worn and tattered. A street walk participant contacted her husband and he promptly delivered a size 13, gently used, pair of shoes. The young man’s face lit up as he threw his old, worn pair of shoes in the trash and it filled my heart with hope and joy…. and so the idea began.” Mijo adds: “Inspiration behind the name Footprints of Michigan was inspired by my late parents, Geronimo Jr. and Maria Lerma. My father was a double leg amputee due to diabetes and always told me, “Mijo (son), always take care of your feet because they will help make your journey a little smoother. One day caring for my mother, I noticed the kitchen curtains had an imprint of the Footprints in the Sand poem. A light bulb went off in my mind and the name Footprints of Michigan was born.”
Shannon Jones, a Ross Lansing student in the Medical Assistant program, shared her thoughts on this worthwhile drive, “as a single mom of two young children, any chance to teach them empathy and giving back, I take. A person never knows… at some point you may need help, too. Practice good karma.” As the Lansing campus wrapped up the drive, they were pleased to donate several boxes filled with new and gently used shoes to Footprints of Michigan. Lansing’s staff and students look forward to helping this remarkable organization again in the near future.
To learn how you can become involved in upcoming events, please visit Footprints of Michigan’s Facebook page. If you have questions or simply require more information, you may post a message on their page or call them at 1-877-811-SHOE. Footprints organizers make every effort to respond to queries the same day.