SUNY Oswego has joined an annual local effort, titled “Tithe My Shoes,” to collect new or gently used shoes and boots for the Rescue Mission with an emphasis on children’s shoes.
SUNY Oswego President Peter O. Nwosu, Ph.D., is proud to participate in the collection effort this year. In his office are a pair of shoes he wore when he first came to America as an immigrant student, and he speaks of them often.
“Those shoes are my compass; they center me on what is important and remind me of where I began and what’s possible,” President Nwosu said. “We all start our journeys in our own shoes. However, these shoes also serve as a reminder of the significant moral responsibility we all bear as educators to transform lives and increase upward mobility.”
This year’s charity drive was recently announced by New York State Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay, a longtime supporter and promoter of the effort spearheaded by former Central Square Mayor and Executive Director of the Oswego County Conference of Mayors Millard “Mudd” Murphy.
“Mudd has started a great thing that fulfills a real need within this community, and I am glad this tradition will continue. This will be the 10th annual ‘Tithe My Shoes’ drive and every year, people from across the county and all different communities donate hundreds of pairs of shoes to this cause. I have faith that we can collect even more pairs than we have in previous years,” said Leader Barclay.
“I’m proud to partner with Leader Barclay, SUNY Oswego, many municipalities and local churches on this annual effort. We are blessed to have such a truly generous community that will help us collect more shoes, especially more shoes for kids again this year. It will help those families in need. People are amazing, and I hope together we can help to make the holidays a little brighter for everyone,” said Millard “Mudd” Murphy.
In addition to a box in the Marano Campus Center, near the Information/Welcome Desk across from the box office, drop-off sites include:
- Leader Barclay’s Assembly District Office, 19 Canalview Mall, Fulton
- City Hall, City of Oswego, 13 West Oneida St., Oswego
- Central Square Community Church, 833 U.S. Rt. 11, Central Square (Tuesdays through Fridays 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.)
- Pulaski Village Office, 4917 Jefferson St., Pulaski
- Fulton City Hall, 141 South First St., Fulton
- Phoenix Village Office, 455 Main St., Phoenix
- Central Square Clerk Office, 3125 East Ave., Central Square
- Town of Mexico Town Clerk Office, 64 S Jefferson St., Mexico
- Trinity Episcopal Church, 1492 NY-49, Constantia
- Cleveland Village Hall, 2 Clay St., Cleveland
- Parish Municipal Office, 2938 E Main St., Parish
Shoes will be collected until Friday, Dec. 8 so they can be repaired and delivered in time for the holidays. Murphy works with Ralph Rotella, owner of the Discount Shoe Repair store in Syracuse, who donates his time to clean and fix shoes before delivering them to the Rescue Mission.