January 15, 2008 10:05 ET

Soles4Souls Founder Wayne Elsey Presented With Prestigious "e-town award"

Former Footwear Executive Started Shoe Charity to Reach Out to Extremely Poor & Disaster Victims

BOULDER, CO and NASHVILLE, TN--(Marketwire - January 15, 2008) - Wayne Elsey, the Founder and CEO of footwear charity Soles4Souls™ Inc., has been awarded the "e-chievement award" from etown, a popular radio broadcast heard coast to coast on NPR and other stations. Elsey earned the award for his philanthropic work and the unique mission of his charity, which began in the aftermath of the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina.

"I'm very honored to receive the e-chievement award from etown," Elsey said. "We are proud that our simple mission -- changing the world one pair at a time -- is resonating with the general public. We are truly excited that so many people are coming alongside us to help us put shoes on people's feet, both here in the U.S. and around the world," he said.

In its brief history, Soles4Souls has served people by delivering more than 3 million of pairs of shoes to 58 countries, including Mexico, Venezuela, Peru, Guatemala, Honduras, Haiti, Uganda, Sudan, and Romania. More countries are continually added to this list as Soles4Souls finds regional partners able to distribute the footwear to needy people in their areas.

Hosted by Nick and Helen Forster, etown aims to educate, entertain and inspire a diverse audience, through music and conversation, in order to create a socially responsible and environmentally sustainable world.

One of the show's most popular segments is the e-chievement award. Listeners from around the country send in tales of remarkable individuals who are working hard to make a positive difference in their communities and beyond. From massive river clean-ups to programs that help the homeless, from neighborhood environmental activists to national social and environmental organizations, etown takes pride in celebrating the success stories of ordinary citizens accomplishing extraordinary things.

According to Elsey, Soles4Souls is already collecting and distributing nearly 30,000 pairs of shoes each week. By summer 2008, Soles4Souls personnel expect that figure to be over 40,000 pairs of shoes each week.

More About Soles4Souls

Nashville-based Soles4Souls™ facilitates the donations of both new and used shoes, which are used to aid the hurting worldwide. Since its inception, Soles4Souls has collected more than 3 million pairs (or one pair every 28 seconds) from shoe companies, retailers, and individuals. The shoes have been distributed in more than 60 countries, including Mexico, Honduras, Romania, Thailand, and the Sudan. The charity has been featured on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, ABC News, FOX, CBS, and hundreds of regional outlets around North America. Soles4Souls is a 501(c)(3) recognized by the IRS; donating parties are eligible for tax advantages. Visit www.GiveShoes.org and www.Soles4Souls.org or call (866) 521-SHOE.

More About etown

etown is an exciting weekly radio broadcast heard from coast to coast on NPR, public and commercial stations. Every etown show is taped in front of a live audience and features performances from many of today's top musical artists as well as conversation and information about the world around us. etown's mission is to produce high quality programs of diverse music and conversation in order to entertain, educate and engage a wide audience in appreciating and protecting our cultural and natural resources. Visit www.etown.org for more information.