From left to right: Melinda McIntyre, ongressman Greg Walden's office and Adam Daniel, Congresswoman Darlene Hooley's office receive information about Nike's innovative Reuse-A-Shoe program from Alison Mehlsak, Nike Government Affairs Intern and Kate Krebs, National Recycling Coalition Executive Director.

by Bend Weekly News Sources

The National Recycling Coalition (NRC) and Oregon-based Nike kicked-off of the third annual Capitol Hill Reuse-A-Shoe Challenge. Led by Members of the Oregon House Delegation – Rep. Peter DeFazio, Rep. Earl Blumenauer, Rep. Greg Walden, Rep. Darlene Hooley and Rep. David Wu – the month-long drive began June 11 and will run through July 11.

 The goal of the Congressional Reuse-A-Shoe drive is to collect as many worn-out athletic shoes as possible, which will then be recycled and turned into donated sports and play surfaces around the world. The winner will be announced July 11 and the office that collects the most pairs of shoes will receive a donation in the Member’s name to a nonprofit organization of his or her choice to help get kids more physically active.

Over the last two years, more than 1,000 pairs of shoes have been recycled. Used and unwanted athletic shoes may be donated by bringing them to any Member’s office of the Oregon House Delegation.

The NRC and Nike Reuse-A-Shoe partnership is now in its fourth year, currently partnering with 37 organizations. Celebrating its twelfth anniversary, the Nike Reuse-A-Shoe program recycles 1-2 million pairs of post-consumer and defective shoes each year and has helped donate more than 170 sports surfaces around the world to help kids get more physically active. The Nike Reuse-A-Shoe program is an integral part of NikeGO – Nike’s long-term commitment to promote healthier lifestyles for kids through physical activity.

About Nike Reuse-A-Shoe and NikeGO

Reuse-A-Shoe is an integral part of NikeGO, Nike’s long-term commitment to promote healthier lifestyles for kids through physical activity. Since the Reuse-A-Shoe program began in 1993, Nike has helped donate more than 170 sport surfaces, called NikeGO Places, to communities around the world. The surfaces use Nike Grind material as a component of the total surface composition, representing an approximate number of recycled shoes in each surface. Kids win because many of these sports surfaces are donated in communities where they wouldn't otherwise have access to high-performance sports surfaces. It’s also a win for the environment, as thousands of pairs of athletic shoe material are diverted from landfills. For more information about Nike Reuse-A-Shoe and NikeGO, visit www.nikereuseashoe.com and www.nikego.com.

Individuals wanting to take part in a collection set up by one of the organizations participating in the Nike Reuse-A-Shoe program can find a list of addresses on the Nike Reuse-A-Shoe Web site – www.nikereuseashoe.com.