Tire Discounters' reTire your Kicks provides for thousands

In its first-ever all-company effort, Tire Discounters, headquartered in Cincinnati, collected more than 18,000 pairs of shoes for international nonprofit Soles4Souls and donated $10,000 to help fund distribution.
 
Greater Cincinnati, which is the company’s largest market, collected 9,400 pairs of shoes alone—an effort that Tire Discounters’ Chief Marketing Officer Crissy Niese says goes to show how many “good hearts we have in the Cincinnati area.”
 
“We had quite a few customers taking their own shoes off their feet like, ‘Sweet, I’ll donate these right now and get $25 off a tire,’ so we got pictures from our staff of people standing there in their socks because they were excited to participate,” Niese says.
 
The promotion, called reTire your Kicks, took place last month and fostered a sense of community for not only the customers who were able to receive a discount for donating shoes, but also for the employees who had never been part of such a large initiative, Niese says.
 
“They were so proud of it, and so proud that their company they work for would do something like this,” Niese says. “A lot of people tend to think of car salesmen, tire salesmen, shoe salesmen—with not always the best reputation. People tend to have a stereotype in mind, but that’s not who we are as an organization.”
 
Soles4Souls will distribute the shoes to individuals facing poverty across the sea, but also stateside, as it focuses on disaster relief and also easing the burden of those facing difficult situations on a daily basis. Locally, it partners with Bethany House Services.
 
“It’s a way to make sure we have a balance and are able to assist people in our own backyards,” Niese says. “And it’s a great opportunity to know your items are going to people who you’ve heard their stories on the news. It’s self-assuring to all the people participating.” 

Do Good:

•    Host your own shoe drive for Soles4Souls.

•    Support Soles4Souls by volunteering.

•    Support Soles4Souls by fundraising.