Send warm boots to needy students in Turkey

Thank you very much for your continuous support to Boots4Kids.

We were able to send 114 boots with the donations we received from our Global Giving campaign last year.

We hope that your thoughtful donations will help us to send more this year. Winter is still in effect in the eastern part of Turkey and we keep supplying boots to the demanding schools.

Attached are some pictures that we received from the field during the distributions of the winter boots recently.

Also please help us to spread the word among your circles. Cost of a pair of boots is about $15 and every dollar counts.

Thank you very much for keeping little feet warm!

Dear Global Giving Supporters,

Thank you very much for supporting this important cause.

Winter is already here and especially in eastern part of Turkey the winter is very harsh, under  -40 degree weather conditions some children go to school with plastic shoes because of the financial reasons. Last year during the holiday season we sent 171 pairs of new boots to that region with the donations you sent us through Global Giving. In addition to that, this past quarter we sent 124 more new boots to needy children in the same region.

BTF partners with Chi Shoes in Turkey and they deliver the boots to the schools that contacted us for help. After the distribution of boots our field champions ‘the schoolteachers’ follow up with us by sending us the pictures of the happy faces of recipient children. Attached are some of the pictures during the boot distribution at Ataturk Elementary School in Caldiran that is located in the city of Van where earthquake hit last year.

Please consider contributing again to this project during coming holiday season. An average new pairs of boots costs 15 Dollars.

This year our goal is to send at least 1500 new boots to Turkey and so far we were able to sent 1266 boots. We are hoping that with your generous donations we can reach our goal easily.

We would appreciate if you help us spread the word. Thank You.

Happy Holidays and Prosperous New Year.

We would like to thank you for your recent donations. Winter is around the corner, as it is approaching we want to put more effort towards our Boots4kids campaign. Please help us spread the word.

Last year the winter was very rough in Turkey and BTF sent a total of 1250 pairs of boots to needy students. 110 pairs were sent to Van Adiguzel Village School to help the victim students right after the earthquake hit the area.

This year our goal is to send 1500 pairs of boots. An average pair of boots costs about $15. We work with a local shoe company and field leaders to distribute the boots to the students who are in need.

Please let us know if you would like to hear more information about this project and again help us to spread the word.

Attached are some pictures from the distribution to the earthquake victims.

Thank you very much for your support to this very important cause.

Boots4kids project of BTF (Bridge to Turkiye Fund) supplies boots to the financially challenged kids in the rural parts of Turkey. Your donations make this project possible. The brand new boots do more than just keep these children’s feet safe and warm but also help to warm their hearts and boost their self-esteem. Many economically challenged families can not afford to buy shoes for their kids and these children go to school with whatever they can find to wear. Boots4kids’ mission is to give these children access to a pair of warm shoes that will protect them from the cold winter weather.

BTF partners with local manufacturers and distributors to supply the boots. A pair of boots costs an average of $15 and make children smile. Most Boots4kids field leaders and champions are schoolteachers of the children receiving boots. When BTF receives request letters from champion teachers we work on raising funds to deliver the request as soon as possible. Upon receiving the boots, teachers follow up with BTF by sending pictures from the field.

This past winter BTF sent an additional 41 pairs of boots to the Beyazit Village Mehmet Mumcu Elementary School in rural Sanliurfa. Project pictures sent by teacher Busra Disli at Beyazit Village School are attached for your review.

Every $15 you contribute to this project will warm up two little feet and a little heart.

Thank you very much for your continual support. 

Every year, through our Boots4Kids campaign we deliver boots to the students in need in different parts of Turkiye. We partner with manufacturers, suppliers and transportation companies in Turkey to deliver hundreds of boots to the financially challenged students. On the other side of the bridge, here in the United States, we work with our donors and volunteers to raise funds to deliver these boots in the fastest way possible to the students, who most of the time, have to walk to their schools for miles under extremely severe winter conditions. Every year, our Boots4Kids campaign is not only delivering boots but it is also delivering happiness and hope. And, every year, as we receive photos back from the schools in Turkiye, we once again see that Boots4Kids project is on the right track. Every year we are reminded again and again that it does not cost more than $15 to make children happy, and to offer them a warmer winter.

So, this year when Bridge to Turkiye foundation received an email from Igdir-Tuzluca-Sogutlu Elementary and Middle School teachers about their students' boot needs, we knew we had to act quickly. With temperature dropping to -4 Fahrenheit during nights, we knew that the children in Igdir needed our help, and fast. After receiving the list of students who needed boots for this winter, we immediately added the request to our 2012 Boots4Kids Project school list. We knew what was before us: we had received the boot sizes from Igdir School teachers so all we needed to do was to work with our partners and deliver these boots to Igdir as fast as possible.

As soon as we passed the list to our partners at Chi Shoes, the rest was a snowball effect. In a very short time, working with our supplier we managed to deliver close to 200 boots to Igdir. After we got the confirmation that the boots were delivered, it was a waiting game for us… We couldn’t wait to hear if students liked their new boots… Following each delivery, we ask our fellow teachers to provide us the photos of the day when the students receive their boots… When we received the photos back from Igdir Elementary and Middle School, we knew that Boots4Kids Project had accomplished its goal: to play a positive role in children’s education, and to put a smile to their faces.

Boots4Kids project might have accomplished its mission for Igdir-Tuzluca-Sogutlu Elementary and Middle School for this year but we know there are many more schools under snow; and many more students who have to walk to their schools under harsh winter conditions with nothing but plastic shoes on their feet. So, we ask ourselves and to our donors, and to our potential donors: When was the last time that you had to walk barefoot in snow? When was the last time you watched your kids playing snowball in their comfortable boots, laughing and actually enjoying winter? Winter is not over yet, and we have more kids waiting for us to enjoy their way to school. Our work here is not yet done…