Old Newsboys of Greater Lansing still needs your help to provide shoes for area kids

Ross Martin, guest writer
·2 min read

By the time you’re reading this, the 2021 virtual campaign for the Old Newsboys of Greater Lansing is winding down. Hopefully, you’ve seen the Giving Guide piece, read the opinion of our sales chair in last week’s Sunday edition and most importantly, have read the recent edition of the Lansing Spoof Journal that was included in your paper last Sunday.

Ross Martin
Ross Martin

As I write this, I don’t have an opinion on how successful or unsuccessful all of that was. I tend to be more of a pessimist, so will go the route of telling you that help is still needed. Although this year’s virtual campaign is nearing its end, the real campaign will only end when there is no more need. Until that happens, the Old Newsboys will continue to help where they can. To help facilitate that, a donation envelope is included in today’s paper. If you can’t find the envelope or missed seeing the Spoof Journal, visit lansingoldnewsboys.org.

So, what is this all about anyway? 100 years ago, one of the organizations founders, George E. Palmer was a truant officer for the Lansing Public Schools. He was finding that the reason children were not attending school was not the lack of the desire to do so, but the lack of proper footwear. Palmer began donating his own salary to purchase footwear for children.

Fast forward to today and the Old Newsboys continues to publish the annual Spoof Journal for fundraising. The satire paper is meant to provide a laugh with its fake news. What do we do with the money raised? Through your generosity, we continue to provide shoes and boots to children in need in Mid-Michigan. This year, we were also able to provide socks.

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Why do our supporters donate each year? It could be that Old Newsboys continues to provide over 7,000 school-aged children in Mid-Michigan with shoes or boots each year. It could be because you have been reading the Spoof Journal and you continue the annual holiday tradition.

Perhaps you realize this year will be harder for many families to meet their needs. It may be because once upon a time, you or a family member received shoes or boots from us, and now you want to help another child. For whatever reason you choose to donate, the children thank you!

Ways to donate:

  • The website (lansingoldnewsboys.org) provides the ability to make a donation using PayPal or credit card.

  • Mail a check to Old Newsboys of Greater Lansing, PO Box 14058, Lansing, MI 48901.

  • Text SHOES to 517-208-2788.

We have a lot of feet to cover. The children appreciate your help. That’s not an opinion — that’s a fact.

Ross Martin is president and media director of Old Newsboys of Greater Lansing.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Still time to donate to Old Newsboys of Greater Lansing