On Saturday, Jan. 27, Whitman basketball coaches Michelle Ferenz and Eric Bridgeland will coach barefoot in their games against Northwest Conference rival Willamette University to raise awareness for the over 300 million children word-wide who are at risk of contracting foot-borne diseases due to their lack of shoes. Bridgeland and Ferenz will shed their shoes in support of Charlotte, N.C.-based non-profit Samaritan’s Feet’s Barefoot for Barefeet Coaches Initiative.

Samaritan’s Feet is a humanitarian relief organization founded in 2003 by former college basketball player and Nigerian immigrant Manny Ohonme with the intention of putting shoes on the feet of 10 million impoverished children in 10 years.

Given Ohonme’s basketball pedigree, the Barefoot for Barefeet Coaches Initiative was a natural step for Samaritan’s Feet. It began in November 2007 when Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Head Coach Ron Hunter went barefoot. Since then, thousands of college, high school, and professional coaches have followed in his footsteps.

The idea to participate in the Barefoot for Barefeet Initiative originated with Bridgeland’s wife, Brie, and was put into action by sophomore Jen Keyes, a guard on the women’s team and the co-president of Whitman’s Student Athlete Advisory Council. All gate proceeds from Saturday’s games will be donated to Samaritan’s Feet.  The women play at 6pm followed by the men at 8pm.

More information about Samaritan’s Feet can be found at www.samaritansfeet.org. Additionally, $5 donations can be made by texting ‘SHOES’ to 85944.