SAN BRUNO, Calif. - The West Coast Conference and Zappos.com will continue to partner together in the Zappos.com WCC Shoe Drive in an effort to donate new and gently used shoes to those in need.
This will be the second straight year that the WCC and title sponsor Zappos.com will use the WCC Basketball Championships as a platform to collect shoes and distribute them around the world through non-profit organization Soles4Souls.
Pepperdine's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee will lead the Waves' effort and is partnering with the Pepperdine Ambassadors Council and other student groups to get the word out. At this Friday's season-opening basketball doubleheader, 200 fans that bring a pair of shoes to donate will get free pizza between the two games. Donation boxes have already been placed around campus and they will also be placed in the Malibu community.
"We are thrilled to once again join forces with our friends at Zappos.com to support this important initiative," said WCC Commissioner Jamie Zaninovich. "Our member institutions are committed to community service and I know Zappos.com shares our passion for causes such as this. I look forward to surpassing our aggressive goals and positively impacting the lives of so many in need."
The drive runs through the end of February. When the 2010 WCC Men's and Women's Basketball Championships roll around in March, all shoes will be tallied and the institution that donates the most will be awarded a student fan group party at their institution. The institution will also be recognized during a halftime ceremony in Las Vegas.
In addition, Zappos.com will donate 1,000 new shoes to 1,000 underprivileged youth from the Las Vegas After School All-Stars and Clark Country School District during the WCC Kidz Day, Powered by Zappos.com. The event will take place before the WCC Women's Basketball Championship Game in Las Vegas on Monday, March 8th.
West Coast Conference
The West Coast Conference was formed in 1952 and has evolved and grown to become a nationally recognized and competitive force in Division I intercollegiate athletics, with 13 conference-sponsored sports: baseball, men's and women's basketball, women's crew, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's tennis and women's volleyball.
The WCC is characterized by the stability of its membership - only two conference have been together longer - and its unique emphasis on combining excellence in athletics with excellence in academics.
Zappos.com
Zappos.com was founded in 1999 with the goal of becoming the premiere destination for online shoes. Since then, Zappos has become the industry's leader in online shoes and expanded their online offerings to include handbags, clothing, electronics and more.
Soles4Souls
Soles4Souls is a non-profit organization based out of Alabama that was created by Wayne Elsey as a response to the 2004 tsunami that hit Southeast Asia. Now, after having coordinated relief efforts for the Asian Tsunami and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Soles4Souls has already successfully donated over one million pairs of shoes to those hurting both domestically and internationally.
