A 4th-grader has rallied her school to collect the shoes and thus help the poor.
Julie Gottfried is only 10 years old, but she has a lofty goal: to collect 1,000 pairs of used Crocs shoes by the end of this school year.
The worn-out shoes will be donated to SolesUnited, a program that recycles Crocs, those ugly-but-comfy clogs that just about everyone seems to own. The recycled material is used to make new shoes, which are donated to people in need around the world, explains Julie, a 4th-grader at Crystal LakeElementary School in Lake Mary-- whose mascot happens to be a crocodile.
"So we call the program Crocs for Crocs," says Julie.
Initially, Julie planned to collect the shoes all by herself. But the program has grown legs. Now her whole school is running with it.
Every month, explains Julie,, each student in teacher Jamee Cagle's 4th-grade class does a community project and writes a report about it. Julie's parents, Richard and Marci Gottfried, happened to catch a segment about SolesUnited on The Celebrity Apprentice. They suggested their daughter set up a shoe-collection box for her next community project.
"I immediately checked out the [solesUnited] Web site," says Julie. "At first I didn't think it was such a good idea. But I changed my mind when I watched the video on the site. Seeing how kids my age around the world didn't have shoes made me want to help."
Julie contacted Crocs. Helped by the shoe company, her teacher, parents and younger brother Matt -- "my assistant and best friend" -- she planned a publicity campaign. She set up collection boxes. And she appeared on the school's School News TV program, talking about Crocs for Crocs.
"I need your help," she told her fellow students. "Let's show the world what our school can do. Wear them, share them. Put them in the box in the lobby."
Julie "completely rose to the occasion," says Cagle. "She shared a clip from Crocs, showing people in the villages receiving shoes. She told how it touched her heart, how the other kids could get involved and -- in her words -- 'change the world.' "
Within days, Crocs for Crocs has become Crystal Lake's largest-ever school-wide project. Once the shoe company decides what country will receive the recycled shoes from the Crystal Lake collection, the school's students will study that country "to put a face on the people getting the shoes," says Cagle.
"It's touching," she says. "Students, teachers and staff sent e-mails to other schools and to family members. Now we're getting Crocs through the mail from out of state. We're the first school in the nation to get involved with SolesUnited. How cool is that?
"This came out of Julie's heart. She is influencing other kids. So many of our kids have no concept of not having shoes."
Julie may be only 10, but she has the promotional savvy of a seasoned QVC pitchwoman. Asked whether she wears Crocs, she doesn't hesitate to plug the brand:
"I've had four or five pairs," she says. "Now I have silver Mary-Jane Crocs. They are the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn."